By Albert Futukpor
Gushegu (N/R), Nov 06, GNA – A total of 200 teachers and head teachers in 10 districts in the Northern, North East and Savannah Regions have undergone a three-day training on the Teacher Professional Development (TPD) Model to help ensure improved educational outcomes in the country.
The training was held simultaneously in the 10 districts, and 20 teachers from each district benefited.
The districts are Gushegu, Yendi, Zabzugu and Tatali-Sangule in the Northern Region, West Gonja, North Gonja and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba in the Savannah Region; and West Mamprusi, East Mamprusi and Yunyoo-Nasuan in the North East Region.
The TPD Model, designed by School for Life, an NGO, as part of the Empowerment for Life (E4L) Programme, seeks to amongst others enhance the professional development of teachers through reflective practice, relational competence, child friendly school environment and active citizenship.
School for Life has been accredited by the National Teaching Council to run teacher continuous professional development programmes aimed at enhancing the professional development of teachers in the country.
Mr. Wahabu Salam, Northern Regional Coordinator, E4L Programme, speaking during the training for teachers and head teachers in the Gushegu Municipality at Gushegu, said it would help improve teacher-pupil relationships, and ultimately improve learning outcomes in the schools.
He explained that the TPD Model had several aspects such as “Citizenship development where teachers instill active citizenship in their learners, reflective practice where teachers are taught to reflect on their lessons and see what goes wrong and what goes right, and relational competence which is about how teachers can improve the relationship between they and their learners to enhance teaching and learning.”
He added that “We started with eight schools in the four districts in the region. After two years, the model has achieved a lot in the eight schools. As a result, the model was expanded to cover 24 schools in the four districts. The last cohort of schools are currently undergoing initial training in the four districts in Northern region.”
Mr. Salam urged the teachers to replicate the knowledge in their classrooms for improved outcomes.
He appealed to the facilitators and the beneficiary teachers to help create awareness amongst other teachers about the model for them to also study to benefit from it because “The model is very good. For resource constraints, we cannot cover every school. So, we want the teachers to transfer the knowledge to other teachers.”
Mr. Mohammed Yazidu, Training Officer, Gushegu Municipal Directorate of Education, who facilitated the training in the municipality, said “It is a good model because it helps the teachers to deliver well in the classroom.”
He touched on some aspects of the model saying, “It has some thematic areas such as classroom management, reflective practice and teacher-pupil relationship and teacher-teacher relationship.”
He added that, “These are things that when they go back to the classroom, it will help them to be able to deliver their lessons. It will improve the teacher-pupil relationships so that they can relate well, the children can understand the teachers and vice versa.”
He said: “Fortunately, there is a monitoring part. So, we will be doing monitoring at the school level to see how the teachers are delivering and if there are opportunities for us to readdress the challenges that emanate, then we can do so.”
He expressed confidence that “By the end of the E4L Programme, we will have very good teachers in the classroom, who will deliver their lessons very well.”
He urged the teachers and headteachers to be serious with the model, emphasizing that “We are going to award you certificates for promotion. And so, it will help you not only in your lessons but to have your certificates and use them to apply for promotions.”
He said the teachers could also apply for National Best Teacher awards because they had been taken through several training courses to make them deliver well in their classrooms.
He touched on the impact of the training on learners saying, “The learners will acquire knowledge because these are modern skills we are giving them, which is in line with the standard-based curriculum.”
Madam Arahamatu Abdulai, a teacher from Bulugu E/A Primary School, lauded the training.
She said: “This training will help me to teach very well. It will help to promote my career.”
The E4L Programme, which is in its fifth phase, seeks to ensure that civil society organisations (CSOs) in northern Ghana contribute to improved resilience, equity and more accountable governance in the country
It is being implemented in the three regions by four partners; Ghana Developing Communities Association, School for Life, YEFL-Ghana, and Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships with funding support from Civil Society in Development, a Danish organization, through Ghana Venskab.
Its education component, which is led by School for Life, seeks to ensure that CSOs advocate for transformative education and equitable allocation and distribution of educational resources to rural primary schools.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Benjamin Mensah