Mr. Tsegah is joined by Mr. Dzomeku and the project team leads to launch the project
ISSER has hosted an inception workshop featuring early childhood education stakeholders in Ghana and Sierra Leone to launch the “Teacher Capacity Building for Play-based Early Learning in Ghana and Sierra Leone” project – a collaborative study aimed at enhancing the capacity of teachers to implement innovations in play-based learning at early childhood levels of education.
Jointly organised by ISSER and Associates for Change, the workshop was also a platform for discussing and aligning project priorities and networking. It was held at the ISSER Conference Facility and chaired by Charles Tsegah, former Ag. Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
In his welcome statement, ISSER Director and Project Lead, Prof. Peter Quartey was full of gratitude to participants who had taken time off busy schedules and travelled from far and near to be part of the workshop. He was hopeful that the meeting “…would mark the beginning of positive and enduring stakeholder relationships that will support the objectives of the project and propel us towards successful outcomes in early childhood education.”
He then presented an overview of the project, together with Associates for Change Director and Project Co-Lead, Dr. Lesley Casely-Hayford.
In a speech read on his behalf by Mr Bernard Selasi Dzomeku, Principal Programme Officer, School Health, the Director in Charge of General Administration at the Ministry of Education, Mrs. Catherine Appiah-Pinkrah expressed excitement about the project “…which would go a long way to support the development of education in the country, especially for the ECE [Early Childhood Education] sector.”
She further said: “Ghana as a country believes that development and sustainability rest on the strong foundation and quality of ECE delivery made available to or most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.”
Several education and early education sector practitioners and researchers who participated in the meeting also welcomed the project for its potential to outline solutions to help overcome constraints that have, for a long time, made the upscaling of childhood education innovations a challenge.
The stakeholders, which included representatives from the University of Education, Winneba, representatives from the Ghana Education Service and the Ministry of Education, representatives from national and international organizations, and NGOs, shared solidarity messages, pledging support for the project while highlighting key issues for the project team’s consideration.
Held on Wednesday, May 18, the workshop adopted a hybrid meeting format and featured online participants from Sierra Leone and elsewhere.
The “Teacher Capacity Building for Play-based Early Learning in Ghana and Sierra Leone” is a KIX/Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and International Development Research Centre (IDRC) supported research project being conducted by ISSER and Associates for Change (AFC), along with the Division of Education Studies at the University of Sierra Leone.
