Programme rolled out in Upper West to increase pre-school attendance
A three-year programme for stakeholders in education aimed at exhibiting a high level of professionalism to improve and increase pre-school attendance has been rolled out in two districts in the Upper West Region.
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The two districts, where the programme is being implemented on a pilot basis, are the Sissala East and West districts.
The programme, which involves a total of 120 kindergarten schools (60 from each district), attracted selected participants from the Ghana Education Service, head teachers and teacher trainees in the two districts, to provide the needed support to enhance the programme.
It is being implemented by Afrikids, an NGO based in the Upper East Region, and for a start, a three-day workshop was organised by the Tumu College of Education for the participants at Tumu, to complement government’s efforts in enhancing their skills on how to increase enrolment.
Excellent atmosphere
According to the Country Director of Afrikids, Mr Nicholas Kumah, their main objective was to train more participants in how to use local teaching and learning materials to create an excellent atmosphere among children under four years to enhance quality teaching and learning at that stage.
“You can never have a greater impression on a person than when they are in their early childhood years,” he said.
He said academic performance had shown that children who were involved in quality early childhood training, progressed steadily and benefited immensely as the years passed by, boosting good academic laurels and sound discipline.
This was mainly due to the high level of discipline injected after the laying of the strong foundation by their teachers. “When children are young, they learn from every experience, word and behaviour they adopt; it is an investment in a more fruitful future,” he said.
He painted a gloomy picture of the standard of education in the region, adding that currently, only the Tumu College of Education trained teachers in early childhood education in the three regions of the north.
Appeal
He, therefore, appealed to the government to increase the efforts to enhance quality teaching and learning in schools. He also appealed to organisations and philanthropists to support educational programmes in the three northern regions to enhance standards.
Earlier, the Sissala-East Director of Education, Mr Michael Tengbani,commended teachers in the region, who, in the face of constraints, were making remarkable impact, and also called on parents to provide their children with their needs to enable them to concentrate on their studies.
