STAR Schools Project
Year of Implementation: 2017
Background
Savana Signatures implemented the STAR Schools model across 20 schools in Ghana’s Northern and Volta Regions with the goal of transforming education quality through a comprehensive approach. The initiative was built on five foundational pillars that worked in synergy to create meaningful change. First, it focused on establishing safe and conducive learning environments where students could thrive. Second, it prioritized enhancing teaching methodologies through professional development. Third, it strengthened school management systems for better administration. Fourth, it fostered deeper community and parental engagement in education. Finally, it integrated Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) to equip students with vital life skills
Strategy
The project employed two key strategies to drive its educational transformation. The Basic Education Quality Improvement Programme (BEQUIP) served as the pedagogical backbone, promoting active, child-centered teaching approaches. Simultaneously, the CSE component delivered age-appropriate sexual and reproductive health education through specialized curricula – My World, My Life (MWML) for primary schools and My Safety, My Wellbeing (MSWM) for junior high schools.
Key Highlights
The project achieved significant milestones in youth empowerment and sexual health education. A total of 2,330 young people aged 10-19 years gained crucial knowledge and skills to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and rights. To ensure the sustainability of this education, the project trained 10 teachers and 10 peer educators as facilitators who could continue delivering the MWML and MSWM programs in their schools.
Teacher capacity building formed another major accomplishment of the initiative. The project began by training 20 lead teachers who then cascaded their knowledge by conducting in-school workshops for an additional 120 teachers, significantly expanding the reach of improved teaching methodologies. Furthermore, a comprehensive one-week training equipped 73 education professionals – including teachers, headteachers, circuit supervisors, and college tutors – with Active Teaching and Learning (ATL) methodologies through the BEQUIP approach, fundamentally shifting classroom practices toward more student-centered pedagogy in the Ho and Hohoe municipalities.
The project’s systemic improvements created lasting change at multiple levels. School leadership capacity was strengthened through targeted management training, while concerted efforts to engage parents and community members resulted in greater participation in school affairs. These combined efforts contributed to establishing safer, more inclusive learning environments where both students and teachers could perform at their best.
The STAR Schools Project delivered measurable improvements across several critical areas of education. Teaching quality saw significant enhancement through the adoption of BEQUIP’s child-focused methods, creating more engaging and effective classroom experiences. The structured CSE curricula successfully expanded sexual and reproductive health awareness among students, equipping them with essential life skills. The project’s training model proved particularly impactful as teachers trained their peers, ensuring the sustainability of improved practices beyond the project timeline. Perhaps most importantly, the initiative achieved holistic school improvement by simultaneously addressing learning spaces, community engagement, and leadership development, creating a comprehensive framework for quality education that continues to benefit schools in the Northern and Volta Regions.