We’re thrilled to be launching a three-year, play-based kindergarten teacher training project in Ghana’s Central Region in partnership with the Ghana Education Service and the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).

The project targets teachers from both government and low-fee private kindergarten schools within the Effutu and Gomoa Central districts. In Ghana, approximately 40% of all kindergarten schools are private. Therefore, it is essential that these schools as well as public schools are supported to provide the very best play-based education for future generations.

This is the first time we are working directly with low-fee private schools and it’s a vital part of our strategy moving forward to help Ghana achieve SDG 4.2, quality pre-primary education for all. Through this project, we will learn more about the private school sector and we’ll iterate our teacher training approach to ensure it works effectively in both public and private schools.

In this first year, the project will provide training for 280 kindergarten teachers and 98 head teachers. Ghana Education Service officers will also receive training to enable them to support and monitor teachers and maintain the quality practice in the classrooms.

In year two, a select number of teachers will receive additional training in coaching and mentoring so that they can support student teachers from UEW who will spend time in the classrooms on placement gaining first-hand experience as part of their teaching degree. 220 student teachers from UEW, one of Ghana’s most esteemed education institutions, will benefit.

Through this project nearly 12,000 four and five-year-old children will receive a quality education, being taught in a more engaging way, equipping them with the foundation skills to succeed in primary school, and bringing proven later life benefits.

Sabre works closely with the Government of Ghana to deliver Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4.2 on universal access to quality pre-primary education and has significantly contributed to educational reforms across the country. Sabre and the UEW will also partner on research and will share findings in order to influence Early Childhood Education policy and practice.

The first training workshop has been held for teachers, head teachers and Ghana Education Service Officers from public schools. The workshop introduced a range of topics including how to organise play-based learning, creating a positive learning environment, literacy and lesson planning. The workshop was really hands on and included ice breaker activities, practical demonstrations and group work.

After this, once teachers are using their training in their own classrooms, we visit them to see how they are getting and together identify areas where teachers may need more support. This hands on in-classroom support is a key part of the training programme and is something that head teachers are trained to do.

We are planning to deliver this training and subsequent classroom support to the private schools very soon too!