Education directors have attended a day’s meeting to assess the challenges that led to the low performance in the 2021 National Standardised Test (NST) and shared best practices towards improving the learning outcomes in the ensuing year.

The meeting was also to discuss the challenges being faced by some teachers about integrating play into the delivery of the Standard Based Curriculum (SBC) by some teachers and come out with strategies to address the gaps.

It was organised by Right to Play an International Non-governmental organisation, as part of its efforts to integrate play-based learning into teachers’ training frameworks and training materials for kindergarten to primary six.

Participants were drawn from the Ghana Education Service (GES) headquarters, National Council for Curriculum Assessment, National Teaching Council, Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP), Ministry of Education-Pre-Tertiary, Regional/Municipal/District Directors of GES, Regional/Municipal/District Directors in-charge of supervision as well as Regional/Municipal/Training officers from districts where RTP was implementing its educational interventions.   

Michael Nsowah, Council Chairman of GES, speaking at the meeting in Tamale, said it was strategic as it would ensure that national-level plans were aligned with work at regional and district levels.

 Since May 2020, different activities have been implemented in collaboration with RTP and its partner districts and other education stakeholders to ensure that teachers were trained and were receiving the appropriate support from all levels; national, district and community to implement the SBC effectively, and integrate the play-based learning approaches for learners’ participation and enhanced learning outcomes.

Following the release of the results of the 2021 NST, it was observed that though the aggregate mean scores of the RTP partner regions and districts (Volta, Greater Accra and Northern) were above the national mean score, the overall performance required some improvement.

 Additionally, the recent joint RTP and GES -HQ Regional Education Officials as well as Ghana Accountability and Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) monitoring to partner districts revealed challenges with the integration of play into the delivery of the SBC by some teachers and this had been attributed to problems with the cascading of in-service training programmes as well as coaching and mentoring for the teachers hence the meeting to address the situation.

Nsowah urged the directors to encourage teachers to attend some training workshops to improve their performance saying, “Things are changing and as a teacher, you need to be abreast of the changing trends so that you will be able to also help your children to be abreast of the changing trends in the educational system.”  

He expressed appreciation to NGOs and development partners for their support towards improving education at the basic school level in the country.

Prince Charles Agyeman-Duah, Director of Schools and Instruction, GES lauded the meeting saying it would help to strengthen leadership at the district level right from the Director of Education through to the head teacher “To ensure that we are providing adequate leadership support to enhance teacher practice and improve learning outcomes.”   

Madam Josephine Mukakalisa, Country Director of RTP lauded the level of collaboration between the RTP and the GES at all levels to bring their resources together to ensure that “We support the teaching and learning and contribute to the learning outcomes.”

Madam Mukakalisa spoke about what RTP expected after the meeting saying, “We are expecting to see district plans that integrate the best strategies to continue supporting the teachers to improve at all the districts.”

She called for more investment in supporting the teachers because they were the pillars of children’s learning and performance.

Meanwhile, similar workshops would be held in Accra and Ho.