Savelugu (N/R), Aug. 6, GNA – Some parents and caregivers have been trained on learning through play methodology and issues related to child protection, gender equality, environmental sustainability, resource mobilisation and development of action plans to help curb challenges facing schools.
The training was to help improve the development of the schools, ensure parental support for the education of children, improve the attendance of learners and enhance a positive learning environment in the schools through the use of games and play in lesson delivery in classrooms.
A total of 360 parents and caregivers, drawn from the Savelugu Municipality, Kumbungu and Tolon Districts in the Northern Region, took part in the three-day training held simultaneously.
It was organised by Right To Play, a child-centred non-governmental organisation, as part of its Partners in Play Project (P3) being implemented in basic schools in seven direct districts, including Savelugu Municipality, Kumbungu and Tolon and 48 indirect districts with funding from The LEGO Foundation.
The P3 seeks to empower children to become creative, engaged and dedicated to life-long learning as well as improve the quality of education for girls and boys aged six to 12 years through playful learning.
Mr Farouk Alhassan, Project Officer, Right To Play, who gave details of the training during its closing at Savelugu, said it was to support the participants to lead in the pooling of resources and efforts to curb or manage challenges facing schools where the P3 was being implemented.
Mr Alhassan said a recent monitoring visit to the P3 schools in the three districts found that some of the schools were in a deplorable state, hence the training for the parents and caregivers to help address such challenges in schools.
Mr Alhassan said the training had enhanced the capacity of participants in the areas of fund raising amongst others to help address challenges of poor attendance of learners, especially girls drop-out of learners, lack of learning materials among some learners, inadequate furniture, poor classroom conditions and lack of water in some school premises.
He emphasised that “The training has helped parents to understand their roles and responsibilities and take action in solving the problems faced in their schools without waiting for the central government.
Parents are now ready to contribute money to rehabilitate or build classrooms for their children in their community.”
Madam Issah Fulara, Executive of Parents Association (PA) from Kpatuli Zahariah Primary School at Savelugu, who was a participant, said he learnt about the responsibilities of Parents Association (PA) and School Management Committees (SMC).
“Before the first training, our school had challenges like lack of chairs and plastering, and we were taught how to help solve it.”
Mr Mush’al Saeed Umar Afandi, Arabic Instructor and SMC Chairman at Ansuari Sunna Arabic and English School at Savelugu, said, “Today is our third day in the training. We have benefited a lot. One of the benefits is how to take care of our wards as parents.
Through the training, we also got to know that as teachers we need to add play activities to our teaching and learning activities. We also learned that as PA and SMC members, we have to always sit with school management to see how we can help in the teaching and learning of our wards.”
GNA