By Prince Acquah
Cape Coast, April 09, GNA – The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC,) has held a leadership workshop for some 90 heads of basic schools and School Improvement and Support Officers (SISOs) in Cape Coast.
With the aim of promoting effective administration and enhancing learning experiences, seasoned facilitators took the participants through intensive practical sessions on role modeling, exemplary leadership, learning-focused management, and practical learning.
They were also taught how to engage and collaborate with their communities, how to mobilise resources among other skills for the smooth implementation of their visions.
The gesture formed part of activities marking the Institute’s 50th anniversary and five years as UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence.
Prof Michael Boakye-Yiadom, the Director-General of the IEPA, emphasising the Institute’s mandate of promoting education, underscored the importance of effective school leadership in attaining relevant learning outcomes.
He observed that school leadership had gone beyond mere administrative work with focus now on ensuring academic and skills development, stressing the essence of the training.
He also placed emphasis on practical learning and urged school heads and teachers to engage industry practitioners in the teaching and learning process to enable students acquire practical skills.
Touching on the resource mobilisation training, Prof Boakye-Yiadom noted that government resources were not enough and, therefore, school heads needed to learn how to raise resources to support their activities.
“We are intentionally encouraging and supporting them with the capacity to lead fundraising activities for their school to aid teaching and learning,” he stressed.
He expressed the Institute’s commitment to engaging more heads and teachers across the Central Region to promote education.
Madam Harriet Oduraa Idun Sagoe, the Deputy Central Regional Director of Education, reiterating the essence of effective leadership in teaching and learning, observed that many heads of schools were appointed without any practical leadership training.
“In Ghana, a lot of us focus on money when we are getting positions. So, if now the person is made to understand that whatever they have to offer is prominent, it is going to solve a lot of issues in our schools,” she said.
She expressed gratitude to IEPA for the training and appealed to them to extend the gesture to other parts of the region and urged the participants to implement the knowledge acquired in their respective schools.
Madam Phyllis Asante-Krobea, the Cape Coast Metro Director of Education, said the workshop was timely because many heads of schools had never been trained since they were appointed.
She said leadership was not just a position but a mandate to drive respective institutions to their desired destinations through relevant plans, strategies and actions.
It was her expectation that the training would help to deal with challenges such as teacher absenteeism, lateness and indiscipline as the heads were now empowered to provide effective leadership.
Mr Eric Asante Frimpong, the Headteacher of the Ankaful M/A Basic School and GNAT Chairman for Cape Coast Metro, said the training had taught them more effective ways to deal with indiscipline among students as misbehaviour had become a canker.
“This workshop is going to help my school. I will also run a workshop for my teachers and implement whatever knowledge I have acquired here,” he said.
Madam Philomena Charlotte Forson, Headmistress of St Nicholas JHS, noted that the collaboration between IEPA and the Ghana Education Service (GES) was long overdue, stating that such trainings must be done periodically to sharpen their skills.
She observed that the school curricular as well as students’ behaviour were changing consistently and quickly and therefore consistent training had become necessary.
“I believe that as individuals, we should also try to motivate ourselves to broaden our knowledge and skills by leveraging institutions like IEPA which right here with us,” she stressed.
GNA
AT /KOA