Over 90,000 new products to be distributed in schools

The correct book and pen is reusable and can be used for several years. Words written in the correct book with the correct pens can be wiped or erased and written again. The correct pen can be used for two years and be refilled.

The ‘teaching with impact programme’ will be rolled out in three regions in Ghana – Northern, North East and Volta. Six districts from the three regions have been selected to benefit from the programme.

Thirty municipals in Ho, 10 in Hohoe, eight in Tamale Metro and Sagnerigu, 13 in Savelugu Nanton and 11 in East Mamprusi will have the privilege of experiencing the important features of the programme.

In all three regions, 80 schools, 160 communities, 32,254 students, 875 teachers and 320 lecturers in the teacher training college would partake in various activities that include the development of teachers in using correct books to stimulate teaching and learning in the classroom.

Beneficiaries would also watch video recordings and sharing of teaching processes and methodologies among schools in Ghana and the Netherlands.

Head of Pre-Tertiary Directorate of the MoE in Ghana, Mrs Catherine Appiah-Pinkrah said the ‘teaching with impact programme’, would help improve quality education and move the pre-tertiary educational system in Ghana from a teacher-centred approach to a learner-centred approach.

She added that with the introduction of the new programme, efforts at ensuring that teachers were highly skilled and that there was active teaching and learning ongoing would be feasible.

“Effective teachers do many things such as planning and preparation, setting instructional outcomes, establishing a culture of learning, stimulation dialogue of questioning and answering, giving feedback, and communicating with colleagues and family. These essential elements are incorporated in teaching with impact training,” she said.

Mrs Appiah-Pinkrah said the implementation of the programme would help teachers develop skills to teach in ways through which learners achieve higher results and have better prospects of progressing to secondary and tertiary education.

Project Manager of Savana Signatures Ghana, Raphael Adomey, at the launch, said the programme would provide solutions to learning issues like literacy and writing in the country.

UNESCO indicated that in sub-Saharan Africa, less than seven per cent of students in the upper and lower primary are proficient in reading and only less than 14 per cent in mathematics.

Mr Adomey attributed thisto students and teachers’ inability to acquire adequate books and materials for studies. “Learning involves making mistakes and learning from them. So the correct book and pen would give them the space to make all the mistakes while learning so they can wipe them after,” he noted.

Mr Adomey said since children would use pens later in their educational lives, it was right to have them use it at an early age.

Director of Savana Signatures, Mr John Stephen Agbenyo indicated that the impact programme focuses primarily on teachers. He said as teachers were being trained, they would ensure that students were learning in classrooms with the aid of correct books and pens.

Mr Agbenyo added that the programme targeted basic schools and teachers and also training officers at the Ghana Education Service (GES) level at the district.