With two years of compulsory and free kindergarten (KG) education introduced in 2008, and a new KG national curriculum and teacher training package based entirely around play-based learning, Ghana is now an African leader in early childhood education (ECE).
Despite this enormous progress, challenges persist. KG classrooms remain overcrowded, and many teachers have never received formal training in the play-based method. Teacher professional development opportunities are limited, leading to poor understanding of the play-based curriculum. Learning often remains rote-based, with minimal creative activities. As a result, almost 80% of children in Ghana still do not acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills by the end of primary school (UNESCO, 2022).
Research shows that play-based learning at kindergarten level is the single most effective learning approach for a child’s brain development (UNICEF, 2018). Hands-on education through playful activities in bright and stimulating classrooms is how young minds are moulded and a lifelong love of learning is instilled.
To help address some of the diverse challenges in Ghana’s ECE sector, VVOB, Sabre Education, Right To Play, and AfriKids, have launched a new project called ‘Strengthening Play-Based Early Childhood Education (ECE) in Ghana through Leadership Communities of Practice (LCoP)’.
This 18-month project has been set up with support of the Jacobs Foundation and aims to establish groups called ‘Leadership Communities of Practice’. These bring together district educational, school, and community leaders, with the aim of strengthening school leadership to support play-based ECE in local communities in Ghana. These learning societies will be critical for key members and leaders within the learning community to share ECE knowledge and insights, thereby promoting collaboration and professional development in the sector.
The Leadership Communities of Practice will form a critical support network for Ghana Education Service officers, teachers, parents, and school & community leaders. The pilot project is being introduced in the Ho West district, Volta Region, Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem district, Central Region, and the Binduri district, Upper East Region.
The Ghana government sees quality ECE as a critical component of their Education Strategic Plan 2018-2030. To further reach this vision, Ghana’s ECE policy was developed to advance the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial growth of all 4 and 5-year-old children, with the national KG in-service teacher training package (INSET) launched in July 2023. With a quality, play-based teacher training programme now in place, the government aims to nationally scale the training to over 48,000 KG teachers in all 261 districts across 16 regions of Ghana.
This innovative new teacher training methodology will revolutionise the way Ghana’s kindergarten children learn by equipping teachers with the knowledge and skills needed to create engaging and stimulating learning environments. The content is designed to promote critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity, and create playful learning landscapes that nurture the full potential of every Ghanaian child. The Leadership Communities of Practice will support this ground-breaking programme.
Kicking off the project
In August 2023, the LCoP partners met for a four-day inception workshop in Accra, Ghana, to map out the project work plan, including aims, locations, monitoring & evaluation frameworks, and a blueprint for training LCoP facilitators.
Speaking to the workshop participants, Ms Vida Barbara Ntow, National Director of Early Childhood Education, stated: “In essence, the community, including parents and local stakeholders, is a vital support network that can enhance the educational experience for young learners. When educators, families, and community members collaborate, they create a powerful foundation for learners to thrive academically. Thanks to all four partner organisations for their continuous support and ideas for helping early childhood education in Ghana.”
According to Lucy Ama Berma, Programme Manager at Sabre Education, the inception workshop “allowed our partner organisations to come up with some fantastic ideas that will drive this project towards achieving our ultimate objective of enhancing play-based ECE in the selected districts and beyond.”
“It was a fantastic learning opportunity”, Lucy added.
Training the project facilitators
From 9 – 16th October 2023, LCoP facilitators, including district education officials, ECE coordinators, and community leaders, met in Accra. They discussed concepts integral to play-based learning, such as inclusive education, the integration of technology, and fostering social-emotional development through positive learning environments.
The training focussed on how school management committee (SMC) members can influence, mentor, and inspire teachers to play their role towards the improvement of learning outcomes. A key focus was also on the roles and responsibilities of the facilitators, with one participant stating:
“The training helped me understand the influential role of leaders and the importance of play-based learning in kindergarten.”
Chantal Kabanda Dusabe, Technical Lead of School Leadership at the African Centre for School Leadership (ACSL) at VVOB, was a participant in the facilitator training session. She believes that addressing challenges faced by education systems in Africa, especially at ECE level, requires strong school leadership systems:
“This leadership goes beyond the school level to involve even community leaders. I am excited to play a role in this collaborative effort to strengthen play-based learning in ECE through Leadership Communities of Practice. I am happy to see the LCoP facilitators’ commitment to fulfilling their roles within their respective communities and districts".
The Leadership Communities of Practice project forms an integral part of Sabre Education and partners’ support of the government’s national scaling plan, which aims to open up the life-changing impact of play-based learning to millions of children across Ghana. Projects such as these which champion leadership in schools and communities are critical for strengthening early education systems at district, regional, and national levels.
The LCoP project is also in line with the overall objective of VVOB’s African Centre for School Leadership to collaborate with key partners in the education sector to build a supportive school leadership system and improve teaching and learning outcomes. The learnings from the project will benefit the Centre as to increase insights into school leadership approaches and competences that are relevant to the African continent.
As we continue the LCoP project into 2024, project partners will continue to deliver exciting outputs, including stories of change for project participants and an overview of learnings across the project stages. Partnerships such as these are integral to Ghana continuing its trailblazing path towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4.2: universal access to quality early childhood education.
