Day: February 4, 2024

Chance for Childhood (CfC), an NGO working for Inclusive Early Childhood Education, has identified various learning difficulties among 132 pupils in 10 schools in four districts in the Greater Accra region.

Out of the number, 37 of them were referred to further assessment at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Hearing Assessment Centre at Achimota.

The screening formed part of its Inclusive Early Child Education (IECE) project among 10 targeted schools in the Accra Metropolis.

The IECE project started on a pilot basis in Accra Metro, Ayawaso Central, Ayawaso North, and Ayawaso East districts in 2021 to promote inclusive education for all children, especially those with learning difficulties.

Participating schools are Accra Royal Basic School, Sempe 1 Basic School, both in James Town; Nii Kojo Ababio Basic School, A.M.E Zion Basic School, in Mamprobi; St. Francis Xavier R/C Basic School, Maamobi.

The rests are Ayebeng Memorial Basic School, Daryl Hijral Islamic Basic School, both in Maamobi, Kanda 1 Basic
School, Nima 1 Basic School, and Kotobabi 3 Basic School.

Every year CfC organises screening and assessment for Kindargaten One and Kindargaten Two pupils to identify early challenges in visual, hearing, and intellectual learning difficulties.

Those identified with such difficulties are referred to special hospitals for further examination and treatment.

CfC also provided them with assisted devices and individualise learning support to promote learning for those who have difficulties or challenges.

Mr Richard Opoku, a Global Inclusion, and Safeguarding Lead, announced this at a dissemination workshop in Accra.

He said the three-year project has trained 900 parents, 40 teachers/ Learning Support Assistants (LSAs), and 600 learners to improve their participation and learning outcomes.

He said CfC also provided the participating schools with learning materials to enhance teaching and learning.

Mr Opoku noted that training of teachers on Inclusive Education was critical to improving the learning outcome of
learners, including learners with Special Educational Needs.

He, therefore, advocated for increment in funding for Inclusive Education implementation to cater for training and screening.

Mr Opoku mentioned inadequate parental support, teacher transfers, delays from some service providers, and untimely submission of information by some teachers as some of the challenges faced during the project period.

Mr Abdul-Ghaffar Adam, the Country Representative of CfC said they were running two projects, namely, Early Childhood Education (ECE) and Best Start.

Whiles the ECE project ended in January, the Best Start project would be ending in March, this year.

He said the next phase of the project would move across to other schools in their bid to spread their tentacles.

Mr Abdul-Ghaffar announced that CfC is also working on a project dubbed ‘Outcome Fund Project’ in the Northern region to bring back 20,000 School children into the classroom.

He said the project is being run in 200 Basic Schools in the Northern reg
ion and they have so far enrolled 500 children back to the classroom.

He said their doors are opened for future collaborations with NGOs and Civil Society (CSOs) Organisations working in their field.

Participants, mostly Directors of Education, Heads of participating schools and officials from Ghana Education Service, Ministry of Education and CSOs commended the complementary efforts of CfC, and urged them to continue the good work to ensure total inclusion.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Togbe Kwasinyi Kakakloko Agyemang V, Dufia of Adidome has advocated government’s attention to upgrade the Farm Institute in Adidome to a full-fledged veterinary college.

The Chief, recognized for his dedication to agricultural progress, believes such an upgrade would benefit the local community and contribute to the region’s broader agricultural landscape.

Togbe Agyemang’s appeal got the support of Mr. Alexander Hotordze Roosevelt, the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency during a recent ceremony held to honor Miss. Charlotte Yawa Sodzedo, a final year student of the Adidome Farm Institute in the Central Tongu District of the Volta Region for clinching the prestigious Agromonti ultimate prize in Ghana.

Togbe Agyemang disclosed that the proposal to transform the Adidome Farm Institute into a veterinary college aligned with the growing demand for skilled professionals in the agricultural and veterinary sectors.

‘Such an institution will not only cater for the educational needs of aspiring
veterinarians but also contribute to the overall economic development of the region,’ he explained.

Mr Hotordze emphasized the potential impact on local agriculture, animal health, and the empowerment of aspiring students who were passionate about veterinary sciences.

He mentioned that government’s response to this noteworthy proposal would reshape the educational landscape in Adidome and elevate its status in the agricultural domain.

The MP assured that measures would be taken by his office to get the government’s attention on the proposal.

Source: Ghana News Agency

All is set for the commencement of mock examination for 2024 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in the Kadjebi District on Monday, February 5.

A total of 1,285 candidates including 612 males and 673 females would take part in the weeklong examination.

They are all from 49 Public Junior High Schools (JHSs) in the district.

Mr Christopher Agorkle, the Kadjebi District Examination Officer, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview at Kadjebi in the Oti Region.

He said the examination was meant to prepare the candidates adequately for the upcoming BECE billed for June 2024 and that candidates’ parents contributed money for the examination material.

‘This is what we have been doing, and the results keep improving’, he said.

The Examination Officer wished them well in the examination.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Madam Nutifafa Abla Kwawukume, the headmistress of Zion College Senior High School at Anloga in the Volta region, has disclosed that the school will implement hybrid distance learning during semester breaks.

The move, according to her, would help promote and improve quality education and continuous teaching and learning during the period.

Madam Kwawukume, in an interaction with the Ghana News Agency on plans to enhance quality education delivery, said that the school management had tasked itself with numerous implementations.

‘We have other measures and strategies that would help us gear towards the realisation of our goals of achieving a grade ‘A’ status,’ she stated.

Madam Kwawukume explained that the move to introduce distance learning during semester breaks would mitigate students’ idleness since most of them would stay longer at home during the period.

She outlined other plans such as the installation of computerised software systems to record and monitor students’ academic outputs, regular observa
tions of lessons by management, inspection of teachers’ scheme of work, and teaching notes.

‘We also have others which would include inspection of learners’ outputs, prep supervision, intervention programmes, common test, academic excellence award, an institution of a minimum grade of C6-strategy, among others.’

Madam Kwawukume, outlining their challenges, said that the school urgently needed a risograph or photocopier for their internal examination purposes, a 60-seater school bus, metal beds for boding students, a modern library, electricity and water extension, a new dining hall, and others.

She revealed that even though the school was faced with numerous challenges, they still chalked some successes both in academic and extracurricular activities.

Zico, established in 1937, is a mixed school with a current student population of over 2,100.

Courses offered include Agriculture, Business, Home Economics, Visual Arts, General Arts, and General Science.

Source: Ghana News Agency