As part of our Newly Qualified Teacher Support project we recently had two days residential training for both the teachers posted in the Central Region and those in the Western Region. This provided a great opportunity for the new teachers to meet each other and share learnings from their classroom. It also enabled teachers to revise and adapt some of their classroom activities to help improve their teaching.

The newly qualified teachers shared some of the challenges they are facing in their schools, such as a lack of appropriate furniture. Lack of support was also cited, particularly from head teachers and parents when the newly qualified teachers first started their posting. Since then, as part of this project all head teachers have been sensitised to the project and the active and play based teaching methodology that the newly qualified teachers will be enacting.

Enrolment of overage and underage pupils was a common problem for all the teachers, and this is something we are working on with the Ghana Education Service Officers who are also receiving sensitisation workshops as part of this project.

As part of the training the newly qualified teachers have been given a range of materials, including storybooks for all the themes and construction blocks which we hope teachers will use it in the classroom to help them to effectively implement the programme.

We had time to interview some of the teachers during the last day of training:

“After college, I was very enthused so I prepared some of the teaching and learning materials in advance to show my head teacher and other teachers at my school to win their support and help in the implementation of my training in the classroom I was posted to. I was very happy when Sabre called my head teacher for a workshop which actually made it easier in helping him understand. I have learnt a lot from the workshop which I think it’s going to help build my classroom.”

Philomena Ackah from Appeasuman D/A Kindergarten

“I am very happy Sabre Education called us back for refresher training which has helped me to understand some of the challenges and how to manage them. I have really understood number talk and find it interesting to start introducing my class to mathematical concepts.”

Comforter Swanze from Ampiam D/A Kindergarten