A total of 120 teacher champions and mentors from 60 basic schools have undergone training to equip them with knowledge on using the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) assessment tool to start implementing one hour reading strategies every day in their schools.
This is to help improve learning outcomes specifically in literacy for learners.
The teacher champions and mentors were drawn from basic schools in the Savelugu Municipality, and Tolon, and Kumbungu Districts of the Northern Region.
The ASER assessment tool would test and group learners according to their reading levels, and this classification would facilitate a tailored supplementary support to learners during the one hour reading programme.
The tool would also be relied upon to periodically assess learners to ascertain their progress and remedial support.
The day’s training, held in Tamale, was organised by Right To Play, an international NGO, in partnership with the Ghana Education Service as part of its Partners in Play Project being implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and its agencies with funding from the LEGO Foundation.
Madam Veronica Ofosu, Education Specialist at Right To Play, speaking during the training, said it was to build the capacity of teachers to support learners to improve their reading programmes.
As part of the training, Right To Play donated some teaching and learning materials and some sports equipment to all the 60 beneficiary schools to support in their preparation towards lesson planning and delivery in the classrooms.
The items donated included 60 footballs, 60 sets of cones, over 500 flash cards, 1,000 manilar cards and 60 boxes of word cards.
Madam Ofosu said, “We believe that when children are involved in play, they are able to learn well and understand what they learn. That is why aside the training, Right To Play has donated these materials to the schools so that teachers can use them to support children’s learning in the classrooms. We believe that children manipulate these materials to enhance learning.”
She told the teachers that, “We know we have multiple means of delivering to learners, and so it is important we touch on all the senses of learners to support learning.”
She said the outcome of the 2021 Standardised Test showed that there was need to improve literacy or reading of learners adding, “That is why Right To Play has designed this reading programme to support schools to develop strategies to support learners to improve their reading abilities.”
She emphasised that, “We want our learners to be competent enough and then fit into society not only in the country but also internationally. They should be able to compete with other international learners.”
Miss Rebecca Duodu, a teacher from Lungbung D/A Primary School in the Tolon District, who participated in the training, said it had enlightened her on how, “To differentiate learners in a class according to their level of understanding, how they read, how they identify words, how they are able to read sentences; long paragraphs, short paragraphs.”
She said the training had been impactful adding, “In a class, we need to give learners special attention; those, who are able to pronounce words but cannot read sentences; we have learnt how to handle them.”
