British Council launches third phase of education initiative
The British Council (BC) has launched the third phase of its Connecting Classrooms initiative, designed to help young people to develop the knowledge, skills and values that will enable them to contribute to the national economy both locally and globally.
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The three-year (2015-2018) programme would involve a number of initiatives, including building the capacity of teachers and school leaders worldwide, to support them to integrate a new range of core skills into the curriculum.
It would also focus on digital literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving; creativity and imagination, student leadership, collaboration and communication, as well as citizenship.
Phase one (2008-2011) of the programme focused on collaborative learning and professional development, among others, while phase two aimed at building on the successes and relationship of phase one.
Launch
Launching the event, the Director in charge of Pre-tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Ms Rabiana Amandi Azarah, said the programme was expected to build the capacity of more than 10,000 teachers and 2,000 school heads.
Phase two built the capacity of 5,000 teachers, she said, and expressed the hope that it would transform their teaching methodology and impact on teaching and learning.
The British High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr Jon Benjamin, said Ghana had a lot to be proud of, considering what it had achieved, compared to many countries in the sub-region and on the continent.
The Director of the British Council, Ms Liliana Biglou, said the programme was important to the council since it formed part of its strategy in Ghana, including the development of skills.
She also said the Connecting Classrooms concept supported community development and helped to equip children with skills and build their confidence, adding “it is about school partnership, accreditation, professional development for teachers allowing them the opportunity to share best practices with their colleagues in the UK and 50 other countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas”.
The DFID Head of Human Development, Ms Pamela Jenkins, said the Connecting Classrooms concept was one of the centrally managed programmes by the DFID being operated in other countries apart from Ghana.
The British Council Schools Consultant, Mrs Ann Burgess, said pupils needed to be equipped with skills for the 21st Century, and that BC wanted citizens who could solve problems and were creative.
The Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, Mr Jacob Kor, said the relationship between Ghana and the UK was good and that nothing could destroy such a relationship.
