IIECL Staff Completes Final Evaluation of Ghana Teacher Training Program
IIECL staff have recently completed the final evaluation of a USAID-Ghana funded teacher training program in Ghana. The program, Community Teachers Program, targeted to identify and train 260 untrained community teachers and place them in rural, outlying areas where MIDA has renovated schools. The program recruited 260 untrained community teachers from the 14 targeted districts and placed the teachers in 60 MIDA-supported schools. The untrained teachers received distance education that combined intensive residential training and classroom practicum over the two year period. Of the 260 untrained teachers that began the program, 258 (99%) were still in the program at the end of the two years, and 98% of these were passing all their exams. Effective 2015, Ghana is requiring that all teachers in public schools must have a Diploma in Basic Education (DBE). Those teachers without the DBE will no longer be eligible to teach and receive Ghana Education Service (GES) payment of salary. Schools is rural and remote locations have the most difficult time to retain qualified teachers. The program was operated by the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help (IFESH), and featured strong collaboration between the GES district education offices, three teacher training colleges (Tamale, OLA and ABETIFI), the Institute of Education in the University of Cape Coast, and IFESH.
We were told USAID has promised to continue the community Teachers program, but as at now nothing has been heared.We are in a fixed do not know what to do.Some of my colleages are no more in the class room since itlooks as if our sevices are no more needed.What do we do.
Hi, I am a student in international development and cultural anthropology at Tulane University. I spent 4 months in Ghana studying at the University of Ghana, Accra, and teaching kindergarten. For my senior thesis project I am researching education in Ghana, specifically in regards to critical thinking in schools. I was wondering if you would be able to send me a copy of the evaluation you completed or any information at all. Thank you so much!
Sincerely,
Samantha Sahl
Hi, Samantha. I would encourage you to check out IIECL’s library where we post various studies, reports and other publications. You may find the exact document you are looking for there. If not, let me know and I will try to ensure that we forward you additional documents that can help in your research. Diane
Hi, Mr. Kawku. I would like to clarify that the comment that was made before the teachers is that based on the final evaluation, I would be recommending that the program be continued and teachers assisted to achieve their DBE and that the final decision would be up to USAID to decide. I had hoped that USAID would consider the program extremely worthwhile. However, the problem appears to be with the agency who would administer the program. I am very saddened and disappointed for all of the UTTs that worked so very hard to study and teach in the classrooms, often more effectively than the regular teachers. I do know that IFESH pursued funding from the Millennium Challenge Corporation, but apparently that did not get approved as well. Please understand that my role was to evaluate the program and make a recommendation. I evaluated the program and determined that it was worthwhile, that the UTTs had done their work and studied hard and were teaching effectively in the classroom. I recommended that the program be continued to allow for the UTTs to complete their study and achieve a DBE. That is all that I was permitted to do under my contract. The final decision was up to USAID. The Ghana Education Service has a responsibility as well to ensure that there are qualified teachers and bring UTTs into their training system. It is to USAID and the GES that you should continue your requests. Also, it would not hurt to contact the MCC to inquire as to continuing you as teachers in the schools that they built and equipped.
Hi Ms. Mull,
Thank you so much for your response! I did not see the publication in the Library, only publications on Child Labor. Any documents you could send me would be extremely helpful! Thank you so much, I really appreciate it!
Sam
I will love to partake in this year(2012) admission. When is the admission forms coming out?
The application announcement was posted in January. The deadline for submission of an application is March 31, 2012. The application guidelines can be found via the website under the Emily Sandall Memorial Grant section on the homepage and then click on the Application Process to find the guidelines. These can be printed or downloaded. They are a document located at the bottom of the page. Good luck. We encourage all to apply.