Scale Up of KG Final Version of Narrative

Ministry of Education
Ghana Education Service
Programme to Scale-Up Quality

Kindergarten Education in Ghana
Narrative Report to Support the Operational Plan to

Scale up Quality KG Education in Ghana
[FINAL VERSION]
November 2012
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KG Scale-Up Operational Plan Team
Margaret Okai, National Co-ordinator, Early Childhood Education (ECE) Unit of GES
Madeez Adamu-Issah, Education Specialist, UNICEF, Ghana
Pamela Torry, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood, Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Dominic Bond, Programme Director, Sabre Trust, UK
Nick Parish, Programme Officer, Sabre Trust, UK
Ivy Papps, Economist and Principal Researcher, Tecis Ltd, UK
Aviva Ben Hefer, Early Childhood Education Specialist, MASHAV, Israel
Janette Hirschman, Early Childhood Education Specialist, MASHAV, Israel
Eloise Froment, VSO Volunteer, GES
Tony Dogbe, Managing Director, Participatory Development Associates Ltd, Ghana
Consultants/Advisors
Vivian Tackie-Fosu, Lecturer, Department of Family and Consumer Science, University of
Ghana, Legon
Wilson Kofi Agbeke, Senior Lecturer, University of Education, Winneba
Kabira Namit, ODI Fellow, GES
Eva Oberg, ODI Fellow, PBME, Ministry of Education
Situational and Stakeholders Analysis Reports Team

Alero Ayida-Otobo, ESSPIN
Emmanuel Appiah, Independent Consultant
Hania Kamel, ECD Specialist
Kate Martin, Cambridge Education
Co-ordinating Committee
Cecilia Apronti , Director, Dept. of Community Development
Charles Tsegah, Deputy Director, GES
Chris Koramoah, Acting Financial Controller, GES
Madeez Adamu-Issah, Education Specialist, UNICEF
Margaret Okai, ECD Coordinator, GES
Mariama Yahaya, Director, Department of Women and Children
Palham Oyiye, Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT)
Salome Ntumy, ECD District Representative, Afram Plains
Sego Moses, Director, Ghana Health Services
Stephen Adu, Director, Basic Education
Stephen Adongo, Director, Department of Social Welfare
High Level Steering Committee Members

Ambassador Lee Ocran, Minister of Education
Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh, Deputy Minister of Education, Pre-Tertiary
Mahama Ayariga, Deputy Minister of Education, Tertiary
Naana Biney, Director General, Ghana Education Service
Charles Tsegah, Deputy Director, GES
Stephen Adu, Director for Basic Education, GES
Chris Koramoah, Financial Controller, MoE
Dominic Pelore, Director for EMIS, MoE
Emelia Aning, Director of PBME, Ministry of Education
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M. S. Tara, Chief Director, Ghana Education Service
Rachel Hinton, Programme Manager- Education, DFID
Technical Working Group 1: Teachers and Caregivers Professional

Development
Palmas Anyagre, Working Group Co-ordinator
Evelyn Quartey-Papafio, Head, National Nursery Teachers Training Centre
Jacob Molenaar, Teacher Education Division, GES, Team leader
Janet Alemna, Ag.Deputy Director (HRMD), GES
Lena Dzah, Ring Road East 2 KG, Kanda Cluster of Schools, class teacher
Samuel Manteaw, Director, HRMD, GES
Technical Working Group 2: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Materials

SalomeP. Otami, Working Group Co-ordinator
Judith Sakara CRDD, GES, Team leader
Sarah Agyeman-Duah, Director, CRDD, GES
Victoria Osei, CRDD, GES
Felicia Boakye-Yiadom, Head of Curriculum and Planning Unit, CRDD, GES
Isaac Asiegbor, Head of Assessment Services Unit, CRDD, GES
Vincent Adzahlie-Mensah, University of Education, Winneba
Technical Working Group 3: Access and Equity, Infrastructure and

Learning Environment
Karine Sahnouni, Working Group Co-ordinator
Mawuli Segbefia, PBME-ICU/MoE, Team leader
B. Kwao Adipa, CRDD, GES
Doris Gyedu-Nuako, ECD Unit, GES
Technical Working Groups 4: Decentralized Planning, Integration

and Community Involvement
Susan Sabaa, Working Group Co-ordinator
Daniel Budu-Asiedu, Director, GES, GA West, Team leader
Josephine Kuffour-Duah, Dep. Director, Basic Education, GES
Might Abreh, Lecturer, University of Cape Coast
Vincent Ayim, College of Education, Akatsi
Technical Working Groups 5: Quality Assurance, Accreditation and

Inspection
Kafui Mills-Odoi, Working Group Co-ordinator
Adeline Gaisie, Inspectorate, GES
Mary Kwakye, Inspectorate, GES
Seth Baiden, GES Development Institute, Saltpond,
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Acknowledgements
In addition to the people listed in the previous pages, the development of the KG Scale-Up
Operational Plan (OP) was possible through the efforts and commitment of many others, too
many to list here. It is, however, important to acknowledge the contribution of a select few,
without whose initiative and support the OP would not have come into being. Betty Mould-
Iddrisu, the former Minister of Education initiated the idea of this project and gave it her full
political backing. Her successor, Ambassador Lee Ocran, and the two Deputy Ministers,
Elizabeth Amoah Tetteh and Mahama Ayariga, gave this project their high level political
support. Also notable, is the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) which, together
with the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), funded the development of
the Plan. These organisations also provided technical support throughout the whole
development process. Shikha Goyal and Peter Colenso of CIFF deserve a special mention as
do Rachel Hinton, Enyonam Azumah and Nicole Goldstein all of DFID. The team would also
like to recognise the support of Israel’s Agency for International Development Co-operation
(MASHAV), which provided two Early Childhood Education Specialists during the
development of the Plan. Finally, Madeez Adamu-Issah, Education Specialist at UNICEF
deserves a special acknowledgement due to his tireless effort, commitment and contribution
to the development of the Plan. He put at the disposal of the team, his rich experience and
UNICEF’s years of support to the early childhood care and education in Ghana.
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Table of Contents
Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................. 6
1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 8
2.0 Process for Arriving at Operational Plan Priorities.................................................................... 8
3.0 Defining a Ghanaian Pedagogy for Kindergarten .................................................................... 10
4.0 Overarching Considerations Relating to the Operational Plan ................................................. 14
4.1 Closing the Gap between Gross and Net Enrolment Rates in KG ..................................................... 14
4.2 Teacher Training as the Number One Priority for the Operational Plan. .......................................... 15
4.3 NALAP and TLMP Materials .............................................................................................................. 15
4.4 The Role of the Private Sector in KG Education ................................................................................ 16
4.5 Coordinating the Implementation of the Operational Plan .............................................................. 19
4.6 Measures to be taken for the Successful Implementation of the Operational Plan ......................... 20
4.7 Policy Considerations ........................................................................................................................ 21
5.0 Phase 1: Child Development, Teacher Training and Outcomes ................................................ 23
5.1 Child Development Milestones and Assessment .............................................................................. 24
5.2 A Joined-Up Approach to Pre-service and In-Service Teacher Training ............................................ 27
5.3 Monitoring and Evaluation of Outcomes .......................................................................................... 36
6.0 Phase 2: Infrastructure, INSET and branding .......................................................................... 37
6.1 Infrastructure Shortfall ...................................................................................................................... 37
6.2 Infrastructure Standards and Policies ............................................................................................... 38
6.3 Indoor and Outdoor Equipment........................................................................................................ 39
6.4 INSET Training for KG Teachers and Assistants .................................................................................. 39
6.5 Parents and Public Awareness to Promote KG - Branding ................................................................ 40
6.6 Learning Materials and Resources .................................................................................................... 41
6.7 Establish National KG Standards ....................................................................................................... 41
7.0 Phase 3: Curriculum, Special Needs, and Quality Assurance ................................................... 42
8.0 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 43
Appendices ................................................................................................................................ 45
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Report for Operational Plan to Scale up Quality KG Education in Ghana
Abbreviations
AESOP Annual Education Sector Operational Plan
ASQ Ages and Stages Questionnaire
CBI Cluster based In-Service Training
CIFF Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
CoE Colleges of Education
CPD Continuous Professional Development
CRDD Curriculum, Research and Development Division
CS Circuit Supervisors
CSO Civil Society Organisation
DEO District Education Office
DEOC District Education Oversight Committee
DFID Department for International Development
ECCE Early Childhood Care and Education
ECD Early Childhood Development
ECERS Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale
EMIS Educational Management Information System
ESAR Education Sector Annual Review
ESP Education Strategic Plan
FCUBE Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education
FTT Fast Track and Transformational [Program]
GER Gross Enrolment Ratio
GES Ghana Education Service
GNAT Ghana National Association of Teachers
GNECC Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition
GoG Government of Ghana
GPE Global Partnership for Education
GSS Ghana Statistical Service
GPI Gender Parity Index
INSET In-Service Education and Training
JHS Junior High School
KC Kindergarten Coordinator
KG Kindergarten
MDE Metro Directorate of Education
MDG Millennium Development Goal
MoE Ministry of Education
MOH Ministry of Health
MOWAC Ministry of Women and Children Affairs
MPT Mass Participation Transformational [Training]
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
NESAR National Education Sector Annual Review
NER Net Enrolment Rate
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
NIB National Inspectorate Board
NALAP National Literacy Accelerated Program
OP Operational Plan
PDA Participatory Development Associates Ltd
PPVT Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test
PTA Parent Teacher Association
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PTR Pupil-Teacher Ratio

PCR Pupil-Classroom Ratio
PTTR Pupil-Trained Teacher Ratio
SABER Systems Approach for Better Education Results
SBI School-based In-Service Training
SHS Senior High School
SMC School Management Committee
SPIP School Performance Improvement Plan
TED Teacher Education Division
TLMP Teaching and Learning Materials Programme
UCC University of Cape Coast
UEW University of Education, Winneba
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
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1.0 Introduction
‘Ghana has gained a reputation for making great strides in Early Childhood Education in comparison
to other African countries. The high enrolment rates at kindergarten level (KG) are frequently cited as
evidence for this. This reputation is well deserved, but there are still significant challenges facing the
Ghana Education Service (GES) in scaling up quality kindergarten education nationwide’ [Stakeholder
Analysis Report pg. 1].
In line with the recommendations of the Dakar World Forum for Education and also with the
Millennium Development Goals, the Government of Ghana mainstreamed kindergarten into basic
education, and through the Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2010-2020, has prioritised expanding and
improving comprehensive early childhood care and education (ECCE).
To carry out this commitment, the Ghana Education Service (GES) in July 2011 embarked on a
process to develop an Operational Plan to scale up quality KG education. This process was
undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, GES undertook a review of the kindergarten sector, with
international consultant support from Cambridge Education Consultancy, completing a situational
and stakeholder analysis. This work identified a number of emerging local approaches to meet key
challenges facing the sector.
In the second phase, through a number of workshops, stakeholder consultations and high level
meetings, and building on the previous analysis, Participatory Development Associates (PDA)
facilitated two key deliverables, which have culminated in GES developing a 5-year operational plan
to scale up quality kindergarten education in Ghana. The deliverables are as follows;
(1) Identify key KG programme outcomes, priorities and components: Facilitate strong
engagement between technical working groups, DFID, CIFF, GES, and international and
national experts to identify programme outcomes, priorities and components and use
international best practice as the benchmark.
(2) A Five year evidence-based Operational Plan (OP) to support scaling up of national quality
KG education: Develop a fully costed operational plan validated by GES and Government of
Ghana. Present OP as a package of critical investments and priorities (based on previous
deliverable) that are individually costed. Develop scenarios based on expected outcomes of
specific investments and associated funding requirements from GoG and donor partners. The
format of the OP should be such that it can be easily integrated into GoG policy, planning and
budgeting processes (including the ESP, AESOP and the Annual Budget presentation to
Parliament). The Operational Plan should include a 20-30 page narrative (this report)
accompanied by a five-year budget.
2.0 Process for Arriving at Operational Plan Priorities

Creating an operational plan to scale up quality KG education in Ghana has been a 14-month
participatory and collaborative process. This process included a number of stakeholders - the private
and public sectors, national and international experts, development partners, technical divisions of
the Ghana Education Service - and also encouraged active leadership by government. Through the
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stakeholders and situational reports, where the baseline for Ghana’s KG education was defined (see
summary in appendix 1), a broad framework (see appendix 2) laying out strategic steps for scaling up
quality Kindergarten nationwide, has been developed. Via a series of objective led meetings, key
stakeholders have identified and prioritised three vital strategic goals: Access, Quality and Outcomes.
Twelve components were determined to be essential to achieve these goals, and consensus at the
third high level KG Operational Plan steering committee meeting was that the priority for the
Operation Plan be given to teacher training and independent monitoring of the outcomes of the
programme.
It was agreed that regardless of limited resources and inadequate infrastructure, the right teacher
can transform the Kindergarten class and learning outcomes of the children in his/her care. The right
teacher is one who understands the specific needs of early childhood, who is confident in child-
centred methodologies and child-initiated learning, as well as the learning objectives to be achieved.
The right teacher is one who adopts strategies to engage the full participation of parents in their
children's development, as described in Ghana's ECCD Policy 2004.
The Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ghana Education Service (GES) saw the development of this
operational plan as an opportunity for a comprehensive review of imperatives for the scaling up of
quality KG education in Ghana, and for that reason wanted a long-term operational framework from
which a 5-year plan could be developed and costed. In order to implement the plan in both the short
and long terms, there was a recognition of the need to acquire additional Government of Ghana
(GoG) funding through MoE to validate the Ministry’s support of Kindergarten Education, as well as
make use of known funding opportunities and possible funding partners such as the Global
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Partnership for Education (GPE), UNICEF, DFID and CIFF. To this end, the operational plan has three
implementation phases;
Phase 1: Focus on teacher training, pedagogy and parental involvement as well as the
independent monitoring and evaluation of the operational plan outcomes
Phase 2: Focus on infrastructure, learning materials and resources, and public awareness.
Phase 3: Focus on reviewing curriculum, inspection, internal monitoring and evaluation,

development of PTAs/governing bodies and strengthening Special Educational Needs
support
It should be noted that these phases are not on a strictly sequential basis and a degree of overlap is
anticipated. Sections 5, 6 and 7 explore each of these phases in more detail.
3.0 Defining a Ghanaian Pedagogy for Kindergarten

Ghanaian children at play often demonstrate enormous energy, a sense of joy and well-
being and an enviable set of skills and attitudes. They are curious, creative and resourceful
explorers inventing games by collaborating with their friends and making toys from anything
they find. They concentrate for lengthy periods of time when interested and actively
engaged. It is such qualities as these that should be nurtured and developed in an effective
kindergarten education which includes but goes far beyond the teaching of colours, shapes,
numbers and letters.
As appendix 1 identifies, despite the great strides Ghana has made in recognising the value and
importance of early years education, the delivery of kindergarten education remains entrenched in a
rote learning style, which is neither child-centred nor activity-based. Teacher pedagogical practice
typically shows a lack of understanding as to how children should learn and how teachers should
teach. The pioneering work of Vygotsky, Piaget, Montessori, Froebel and many others have
challenged us to think beyond teaching to learning and beyond learning to the learner. In order to
define and deliver a new Ghanaian pedagogy for kindergarten, GES management and teachers
should look to a learning and learner centered approach.
Every Ghanaian child is a unique individual who develops and learns in diverse ways and at various
rates in different competencies. Effective teachers have a sound understanding of child development
and know that children’s progress through different developmental stages and milestones are
affected by many factors including health, the home environment, early attachment, parental
engagement and so on. It is essential to reconsider the pedagogical approach regarding the delivery
of the KG curriculum, if child-centredness is to be embraced. In addition to defining ‘what’ is to be
taught, the questions ‘why’ ‘when’ and ‘how’ that teaching happens must also be answered. This
should help establish a clear rationale for the move from the prevalent, passive, rote learning model
of delivery to an active, experiential style.
‘Research into Effective Pedagogy in Early Years’ (Siraj-Blatchfird et al, 2002) suggests that children
learn best through a balance of teacher-directed and child-initiated learning experiences. Teacher
directed approaches can include structured programmes such as NALAP whilst child-initiated
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learning takes place most effectively when adults tune into the child’s interests and thinking during
freely chosen activities within instructive and enabling learning environments. The quality of verbal
interactions, including open questions, is crucial to maximize the cognitive development that takes
place in such episodes. In addition, a child’s attitudes, skills and dispositions towards learning need
nurturing if they are to reach their full potential in Kindergarten and as citizens of Ghana.
Effective pedagogy involves much more than teaching methodology. The development of an enabling
and instructive environment, supportive relationships between teachers, children and parents,
quality interactions and a holistic view of child development contribute to the pedagogical
framework and foundation. As such, pedagogy is not easily defined and must become the subject of
regular professional dialogue between reflective teachers, parents and communities. It must be
subject to continual improvement, informed by research, and applied to Ghanaian values, vision and
culture.
The new pedagogy also has implications for instruction at the primary school level. Children
experiencing active teaching and learning techniques in KG may not perform well in primary school if
they simply face rote learning methods. In order to maintain and even enhance the
communication, creative thinking, reasoning and problem solving skills that they acquired in KG, the
whole Ghanaian education system needs to work towards fostering and building upon these initial
skills in order to foster a future generation of Ghanaian citizens who can actively participate in
transforming the world in which we live.
In the process of developing the Operational Plan, the following have emerged as the underlying
principles for Ghana’s Kindergarten Education:
The aspiration is for all kindergartens to have;
1. A high quality, happy, healthy, caring and safe learning environment free from physical
punishment.
2. A curriculum and environment that enables all four and five year olds to explore, discover
and to ask questions about the world around them whether it be in or outside the
classroom.
3. An outdoor learning environment/space which ensures learning is not constrained to the

classroom.
4. Easily accessible teaching and learning materials which make use of local craftsmen and
women and encourage creative play.
5. Specially trained teachers/educators skilled in early years education and adept at delivering a
play and activity based learning curriculum, which is motivating, enjoyable and engaging.
6. Teachers/educators who are able to assess all four and five year olds holistically, focusing on
social/emotional, physical, communication/language, and cognitive development as a
foundation for future academic achievement.
7. Teachers/educators who challenge all four and five year olds to be the best that they can be
and encourage successful and responsible citizens for the future.
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8. Parental participation valued and encouraged through regular information sharing about
activity-based learning and about each child’s interests, development and progress.
9. Continuous professional development for all teachers/educators and trained KG assistants

supporting kindergarten learning.
10. A robust internal and external monitoring and evaluation system which encourages a process
of continual improvement and recognises the need for all stakeholders to learn from
experience.
11. Relationships with stakeholders and the wider community who are responsive and respectful
of all children’s and families’ needs and who appreciate the value and importance of KG
education.
12. All Kindergarten settings to instill a sense of pride in the heritage and culture of the
community through the use of the local language and appropriate resources and learning
materials.
This vision for quality kindergarten education in Ghana is illustrated by the following images:
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Figure 1: Vision for KG: Quality

A creative, child-
centred approach education for all KG children in
to learning which Ghana
is engaging and
enjoyable
in Ghana
Well-trained caring
teachers and
teaching assistants
Positive A KG CHILD who promote child-
relationships with initiated exploration
parents and the
Encouraged to be
and discovery
wider community the best that
who appreciate the he/she can be
value and and to be a
importance of KG successful and
education. responsible
citizen for the
future.
Safe, happy and
Resources and
healthy indoor and
materials which
outdoor learning
support the
spaces free from
curriculum and
physical
learning approach
punishment
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4.0 Overarching Considerations Relating to the Operational Plan

For the successful implementation of the operational plan, certain operational and policy issues have
been identified for the immediate consideration of the management of GES and MoE.
4.1 Closing the Gap between Gross and Net Enrolment Rates in KG
Results from the 2010-11 EMIS report show that the Gross Enrolment Rate for KG in Ghana is 98.4%
while the Net Enrolment Rate is only 60.1%. This large discrepancy is a result of the fact that out of
a total enrolment of 1,491,450 children in KG, only 911,305 of these children are aged four and five.
In other words, over half a million children (39% of the total) enrolled in KG in Ghana are not of KG
age. Other information from EMIS suggests that most of these children are above KG age.
The large discrepancy between GER and NER has raised some important policy implications;
1. Almost 40% of children in KG classes are not of the right age. The overall objective of the scaling-
up of quality KG in Ghana is to ensure that four- and five-year olds receive quality education,
appropriate to their age. Thus, as the quality of KG improves, the existence of older children in
KG classrooms is likely to be unsettling for the four and five-year olds. Moreover, the older
children will be less likely to receive an education appropriate to their age. On both counts, the
scaling-up of quality will deliver less for children in KG classrooms than it would without the
discrepancy between NER and GER.
2. Should the large number of overage pupils in KG remain, it will raise the cost of catch-up training
for existing KG teachers because more teachers are required to deliver the required pupil teacher
ratio.
3. If bringing more four and five year olds into KG whilst at the same time moving the over fives on
to primary and under fours out to nursery can be addressed simultaneously, then the actual
gross enrolment figures should stay fairly static (2011 KG enrolment = 1,491,450 & estimated
four and five year old population = 1,516,090). In this scenario GES would just be correcting the
age of children in the classrooms and the need to train a high volume of teachers remains.
4. A movement of children into primary schools will have an impact on pupil-teacher ratios and
pupil-classroom ratios in primary schools. The need to implement widespread catch up classes
for the over fives who have been taken out of KG or have missed KG would also be necessary,
though there are some good models for this in place (TCAI & School for Life).
5. A movement of children out of KG who are under four years of age will have an impact on the
provision of nursery places and requires cross ministry collaboration. The Minister of Education,
in his address at the third Steering Committee meeting of the Operational Plan for KG Scale-Up,
spoke of his delight that KG was a focus for the government but requested that all working on the
plan remember that the education of children starts even before KG, and that the group of
children aged 0-3 should not be forgotten. Given that this group is a part of the cohort we need
to tackle in order to get clear costing numbers, discussions need to take place in phase one to
ensure they can be accounted for. With this in mind an additional objective, ‘Over and under age
children in KG placed in age appropriate formal and informal community and education settings’
has been prioritised for phase 1 implementation (see phase 1 objective 1.2). It was recognised
that meeting the needs of the 0 to 3 year olds would need to involve other ministries such as the
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Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC), the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the
Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare. For this reason, an activity in the plan is to initiate
dialogue on this issue with these ministries and with the objective of establishing an inter-
ministerial committee.
One of the principal goals of the Operational Plan must be to get as many four and five year olds into
KG as possible, and simultaneously deal with the problem of over and under age children. If not
carefully managed, GES could face a situation where gross enrolment rate increases to +100% by
bringing in more four and five year olds and at the same time retaining over and under age children.
In order to address the catch-up classes required for the overage pupils who move out of KG into the
appropriate age Primary school class, or those children who start school straight into Primary classes,
the government should consider rolling out a proven model of catch up support such as that
provided by the Teacher Community Assistant Initiative (TCAI). Whilst the delivery of such support
in the primary school system falls outside of the direct remit of this Kindergarten Operational Plan,
any efforts by GES to implement a policy of only enrolling four year olds in KG 1 and five year olds in
KG 2 will require significant measures in the primary schools to accommodate those over age
children moved on by the policy. The costing work conducted for the KG Operational Plan has
estimated that an additional GHC 234,000,000 (Two Hundred and Thirty-Four Million Ghana Cedis)
will need to be budgeted for the roll out of a TCAI style programme alongside the efforts to scale up
quality kindergarten education nationwide.
4.2 Teacher Training as the Number One Priority for the Operational Plan.
The focus of two key components of the broad Operational Plan framework changed significantly
during the prioritisation process. It became clear that for the short term, no review of the current
curriculum was needed as it was considered by the national and international experts as
fundamentally sound and had the ability to enable teachers to teach using the active, child
centred/initiated approach. Research shows that child-centred and activity-based learning at the
KG stage of education is essential for children to reach their full academic potential in later phases of
education. Questions surfaced during discussions on the curriculum: Why is this method not being
implemented? How can the teacher deliver such an approach whilst applying the appropriate KG
pedagogy? This led to the recognition of the need to train all existing and future KG teachers in the
appropriate pedagogy and practice.
Training/orientation of KG Coordinators, Circuit Supervisors, head teachers and key district staff must
cover these elements as well. It will be essential to the success of the new approach for all personnel
to understand the underlying pedagogy and expectations being placed on teachers. These
training/orientation sessions need to be held around the same time at district level and should be
coordinated by the Teacher Education Division (TED) with guidance from the Early Childhood
Education (ECE) Unit of GES Headquarters.
4.3 NALAP and TLMP Materials

A vital element identified in the original broad set of the Operational Plan components was the
review and merging of NALAP and TLMP into a single approach to provide a set of sustainable
resources to support delivery with regard to the new KG vision. However, when it came to
prioritisation, this integral part was taken out because this work was already underway within GES as
the plan was being compiled. The NALAP materials rightly focus on the child's mother tongue (or
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local language) and it provides a culturally appropriate resource for the teaching of reading and
literacy. It was believed this could be enhanced and developed for those children for whom the
language was too elementary, in order to provide a richer experience of story and creative use of
language. When very specific materials are provided there is a natural tendency for teachers to use
them rigidly rather than follow the spirit of the idea. It was suggested that the question of how we
can better use the current NALAP books to complement the improved curriculum delivery model be
raised with the NALAP team and incorporated into the training of current KG teachers and within the
pre-service training. Teachers should also be encouraged to write their own stories; and Senior High
School (SHS) students be given the opportunity to illustrate books. For the above reasons, if there are
plans to reprint NALAP and TLMP materials, they should be reviewed before printing is done.
Further, when considering KG materials and resources, there is the need to think beyond just TLMP
and NALAP. Both district and school leadership should be oriented to recognise the need to make
funding available to buy a range of materials with which the child can engage, including role play
items, games, building blocks and other construction objects, books, paints etc., along with materials
to make new games.
The printing of documents should be minimal. The majority should be put on the GES website. This
should not only pertain to NALAP and TLMP, but all documents and materials relating to KG. This will
enable all important documents to be in one place and accessible to all appropriate personnel and
stakeholders – both public and private – and also lower cost. Two suggestions for reducing
curriculum documentation are;
1. A poster (one each for KG1 and KG2 or one per school term) would be a useful alternative to a
thick book. The posters could cover aspects of the curriculum (and/or child development), and
be displayed for all to see daily, including parents.
2. A GES kindergarten ring binder. Elements of the curriculum could be added each term during
training sessions with clear targets and expectations concerning implementation. As each school
achieves one element then the next would be added. This approach could form a quality
assurance scheme with an accreditation at the completion of each stage. It would also mean that
training materials and curriculum notes would be identical thus reducing printing costs.
These ideas should be revisited and considered further when the curriculum is reviewed in phase 3 of
the operational plan.
4.4 The Role of the Private Sector in KG Education

In some regions of Ghana, private sector kindergartens are well established, and make up a sizeable
section of the enrolment and teacher population. Traditionally, GES accredits and licenses private
kindergartens; however in regions where there is a large private sector presence, there could be
benefits from adopting a more collaborative approach.
Data from EMIS indicates that private sector kindergartens typically have better infrastructure than
public schools, but suffer from a shortage of trained teachers. (See table below)
Indicator Public Private
Kindergarten Schools 13,263 5,538
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Schools with toilets (%) 49% 72%
Schools with drinking water (%) 81% 83%
Classrooms in need of major repairs (%) 28% 7%
Teacher population 31,595 9,889
Trained teachers (%) 38.8% 6.7%
Pupil-Trained Teacher Ratio (PTTR) 96:1 471:1
Figure 2: (source EMIS 2011)
The following table highlights the relative size and market share of the KG private sector across
Ghana’s ten regions.
Region No. of PS as % Enroll. in PS enroll. No. of PS No. of un-

Private of all Private as % of teachers teachers trained
Schools schools Schools total in Private as % of teachers
enroll. Schools total in PS
Ashanti 1,195 36.6% 76,527 28.5% 2,277 27.1% 2,114
Brong Ahafo 444 22.4% 29,981 16.4% 883 16.3% 847
Central 877 39.4% 45,522 28.6% 1,595 34.6% 1,493
Eastern 664 28.1% 32,284 19.7% 1,034 19.6% 951
Greater Accra 1,100 64.0% 50,431 42.3% 1943 45.8% 1,756
Northern 202 10.9% 12,375 7.5% 386 11.8% 368
Upper East 80 11.2% 10,181 14.0% 143 10.6% 137
Upper West 37 6.7% 2,733 5.5% 113 9.7% 102
Volta 383 18.8% 16,750 12.8% 576 16.3% 552
Western 556 26.5% 33,906 18.4% 939 22.2% 909
Figure 3: (source EMIS 2011)
In three of the regions (Ashanti, Central & Greater Accra) private sector kindergartens account for
over a third of all KG schools. In Greater Accra in particular, almost two in every three KG schools, are
privately run. Enrolment in private sector schools account for a proportionately smaller share of total
enrolments. This results in these schools having smaller class sizes.
The combination of fewer pupils per class and the better standard of infrastructure, facilities and
resources, are likely to be factors that sway parents towards the private sector, regardless of the
quality of teaching from a predominantly untrained cohort of teachers.
17
Where the private sector is well established, the high numbers of untrained teachers in private
schools offer an opportunity for GES to offer paid places in government teacher training schemes,
which might also help cover some of the costs of training public school teachers.
Experience from other countries suggests that the private sector can also offer an alternative to
investment in government service provision in the form of subsidies or childcare voucher schemes. If
parents are offered a financial contribution towards the cost of private KG fees, or those fees are
subsidised at source, it could create sufficient demand for private school places to allow a private
sector to emerge in the regions where it does not currently exist, or to take on a larger percentage of
enrolments in well-established areas. However, such a scheme would require strong administrative
procedures to be in place, and would only be worth consideration if it represented a significant
national strategy.
In addition to direct provision of early childhood education, there is potential for private sector
involvement in the training of teachers and assistants, in the long term. The Stakeholder Analysis
Report identified two Accra-based private schools that also offer formal training programmes
accredited by respected bodies. In collaboration with the University of Education at Winneba, May’s
Day Care & Educational Centre offers Certificate and Diploma studies in Early Childhood Education,
and provides full-time pre-service training. The Ghana Montessori International Teacher Trainers
Centre attached to the Little Explorers School also offers certificate and diploma qualifications in the
Montessori methodology, accredited by the Montessori International Centre in the UK. According to
the report, it is not currently known how many similar private institutions exist with the capacity to
train teachers, and the existence of such parallel schemes could create difficulties for GES in
determining which qualifications are acceptable for government-employed teachers, and in ensuring
consistency of training provided outside of the national network of tertiary institutions. The model of
private sector involvement in teacher training is one that is relatively unexplored and considering the
challenge of responding to the significant training needs of KG teachers and assistants in Ghana, this
should be given urgent consideration.
The capacity in which the private sector participates notwithstanding, it relieves the burden of
service provision on GES, and an effort to engage with the private sector on a much larger scale
should be encouraged and supported, through sharing policy frameworks, and tools such as pupil
and teacher assessments. The regulatory role remains important – GES has an obligation to ensure
that the private sector providers it licenses deliver a standard of education at least equivalent to that
of public schools.
18
May’s Day Care and Educational Centre: An Example of Private Sector Contribution to ECE in Ghana
May’s Day Care and Educational Centre has been in operation in Dansoman, a suburb of Accra, since
1989 and is certified by the Department of Social Welfare. It has adopted the Integrated Approach of
Thematic Learning, which involves integrating all subject areas together under one theme, crosses
over subject lines and helps children relate basic academic skills to real-world ideas. It has also
adopted the Play-Way method which stems from the idea that play is an essential part of any high-
quality early learning program. May’s Day Care also runs programmes for parents (both those who
have children in the school and those who don’t) on early childhood care and development. At the
weekend, it organizes a programme called, ‘Children of the World Society’, which focuses on
socialization and every day activities. It also maintains links with the National Association for
Educators of Young Children (USA) of which the Director of the Centre is a member.
To contribute to quality early childhood education in Ghana, the Centre opened its Pre-school
Caregiver Training Department in 1999 and since then it has trained and graduated 247 caregivers in
a one-year long training programme in Early Childhood Care and Development. In addition, the
Centre engages in other forms of training which are customized and delivered upon request. It has a
strong relationship with the Ghana Education Service. For instance in 2011, over a two week period,
the Centre trained 150 educators in ‘Best Practices Required of an Early Childhood Care and
Development Practitioner’, a programme sponsored by UNICEF and coordinated by the GES.
UCC Students on Exposure Visit to May’s (Source: May’s Day Care and Education Centre)
4.5 Coordinating the Implementation of the Operational Plan

For the implementation of the operational plan to be a success, there is a need to adequately
resource the Early Childhood Education (ECE) unit, within the Ghana Education Service, to oversee
and coordinate the implementation of the plan. Currently, the unit is severely under-resourced,
and additional technical assistance provided to it during the development of the Operational Plan,
has shown the benefits of the added capacity.
The coordinator role would involve the following: 1) Coordinating those funding each element of the
plan, 2) Coordinating the divisions of GES and liaising with MoE, 3) Determining when each activity
19
should start, 4) Maintain project documentation - collating reports/meeting outcomes which may
feed into additional aspects of the plan, (5) Monitor and manage the project schedule, budget and
risks, (6) Negotiate and resolve issues as they arise across areas of the project and where they impact
on other activities, systems and projects, (7) Prepare project status reports and project change
requests for the management of GES; among others. It is a crucial role, which, when done well,
should facilitate the successful execution of the Operational Plan. To play this role effectively, the
coordinator must be given support and authority by senior management. Without an individual or
team with an overall view of and responsible for the plan’s implementation, Ghana could end up
with, at best, a poorly and partially implemented plan or at worst, no implementation of the
activities and outcomes stakeholders have worked so hard to put together. At the regional and
district levels, there will be the need for the capacity building of the network of KG Co-ordinators in
order to achieve desired results, in both the public and private sectors, across the country. In this
regard, there is a pressing need, before the implementation of the operational plan, to strengthen
the Early Childhood Education Unit of GES and make it responsible for coordinating the
implementation of the operational plan.
4.6 Measures to be taken for the Successful Implementation of the

Operational Plan
The following should be secured by GES/MoE to ensure a strong foundation, for which the activities
and funding contained in the OP can be implemented:
 Develop clear roles and responsibilities for the Circuit Supervisor (CS), Kindergarten
Coordinator (KC), KG Teacher and KG Teaching Assistant in order to enable effective on-going
monitoring and support for kindergarten. Job descriptions need to be explicit; this may
involve the revising of current roles and responsibilities. Supervision and monitoring
responsibilities and the process for follow-up must be clear.
 Commit to a standard number of paid days training per year for kindergarten staff.
 Ensure that kindergarten teachers have the opportunity to meet with other kindergarten
teachers at kindergarten specific cluster-based INSET (CBI), rather than following the CBI
programme with their primary school. School-based INSET (SBI) should be with the primary
school as usual.
 Enable students that apply to study ECE to have preference in the admissions process at
Colleges of Education (CoEs).
 Require kindergarten teacher qualifications be linked to professional standards already

developed, to ensure quality teachers.
 Investment in ‘District Resource Centres’ where teachers can make their own TLMs and
where other members of the community can access the centres’ resources. These centres
can be self-funding and manned (an example from Lawra, Upper West Region). The viability
of self-funding centres may be possible in more rural/semi-rural areas where access to
photocopiers/computers/printers etc. for teachers and the general public is more sporadic. If
resources can be competitively priced, and manned centres simply ‘break even’ there may be
opportunities for successful learning Resource Centres in more urban areas. There is a
20
move for the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) to invest in resource centres in
each district, which would be attached to their district office, for the express use by teachers.
GES must seek collaboration with GNAT on this as the latter has a good track record in
providing services for its members, which is cross-subsidised by the public, thus ensuring
sustainability.
4.7 Policy Considerations

Apart from the above measures and actions that need to be taken for the successful implementation
of the operational plan, there are other policy measures that need immediate attention.
(i) The first Priority policy consideration for government is the funding for the KG sector as a whole
and the Operational Plan in particular. To undertake a comprehensive national scaling-up of quality
KG and an overhaul of the KG sector, as proposed in this operational plan, will cost a minimum of
GHS 822,893,665 (Eight Hundred and Twenty-two Million, Eight Hundred and Ninety-three
Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty-Five Ghana Cedis). According to the government’s own Education
Strategic Plan (ESP), 2010-2020, funding to KG has declined from 7.4% in 2002 to 3.4% in 2005 and
20081. From EMIS data, this has further fallen to 2.8% in 2010 and increased marginally in 2011 to
2.90. The funding target to the KG sector in the ESP is 5.7% by 2015. If the allocation to KG remains
constant over the next three years at 2.9% (a conservative assumption given that historically it has
been falling), the funding gap between the projected allocation and the target allocation (to reach
5.7% by 2015) will rise over the next four years. Based on the projected resource envelope for the
education sector for 2012 to 2014, provided by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
(MoFEP) in the Budget Statement of 2012, the projected funding gap will rise from Gh¢63m in 2012
to Gh¢103m in 20142.
For the successful implementation of this OP, government must at the minimum increase funding to
the sector to the target set in the ESP. By this it will signal its commitment to the sector and by its
lead, encourage donors to commit funding.
(ii) If the implementation of the Operational Plan is to be a success, there is a need to adequately
resource the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Unit, within the Ghana Education Service, to oversee
and coordinate the implementation of the plan. Currently, the unit is severely under-resourced, and
additional technical assistance provided to it during the development of the Operational Plan, has
1
Education Strategic Plan, 2010-2020, Table 1.3.1
2
MoFEP will not release the projected resource envelope for 2015 until early 2013 in the 2013 Budget
Statement for the MTEF period 2013-15 and thus the funding gap is projected only up to 2014.
21
shown the benefits of the added capacity. Without an individual or team with an overall view of and
responsible for the plan’s implementation, Ghana could end up with, at best, a poorly and partially
implemented plan or at worst, no implementation of the activities and outcomes stakeholders have
worked so hard to put together. The resources needed by the ECE Unit have been duly costed in the
plan.
In addition to the above priority policy considerations, there are major policies in the Operational
Plan that government must approve for implementation. These are:
(iii) A commitment by GES/MOE to expand ECE accredited Colleges of Education from the current
seven to at least nineteen so that there is a minimum of one in every region. This is critical for
institutionalizing and increasing the number of new teachers who are trained in the new pedagogy.
(iv) The large discrepancy between GER and NER which, as indicated above, has important policy
implications, must be addressed. Most pressing amongst these is the need to ensure that only the
correct age children are enrolled for KG1 (4 year olds) and KG2 (5 year olds), strong leadership will be
required at all levels to effect this change.
(v) For the existing untrained teachers, the one year in-service course proposed in the OP could go
with the award of a Certificate in Early Childhood Education and an increase in salary as motivation
and for retaining them in the public sector. If successful, consideration be given to a reduction in the
number of years used in training a KG teacher from the current three years to two.
(vi) Similarly, to retain and motivate KG Assistants who will be trained, they must, as a matter of
policy, be put on GES salary scale with some marginal increase in what they currently earn.
(vii) To set realistic and viable targets for pupil-classroom and pupil-teacher ratios at the kindergarten
level. It is recommended that a maximum of 40 children per class should be the immediate target for
KG1 and KG2, with every class having a minimum of one trained KG teacher and one teaching
assistant. There will be the need to develop a policy plan as to how to reach these targets, beyond
the period of this Operational Plan.
However, there are some policy options that have political or financial implications, so they could be
considered and taken forward as part of the Op Plan (if so, requiring a revised Operational Plan), or
to be tackled at a later date. These are:
(viii) The need to close the gap between gross and net enrollment rates in KG, taking into
consideration the role of the private sector in the provision of early childhood education. In this
regard, in the districts where there is a strong and well-established private sector, GES should
consider promoting voucher schemes to support and bolster private sector provision, as long as it is
satisfied that national standards are being adhered to.
(ix) As stated earlier, to undertake a comprehensive national scaling-up of quality KG and an overhaul
of the KG sector, as proposed in this operational plan, would cost a minimum of GHS 822,893,665
(Eight Hundred and Twenty-two Million, Eight Hundred and Ninety-three Thousand, Six Hundred and
Sixty-Five Ghana Cedis). This can be reduced if consideration could be given to allowing some
flexibility about combining facility-based models with less expensive community-based models,
especially where the primary school is some distance away for the children at that age to walk to.
22
(x) Finally, considering the critical role KG plays as laying the foundation for a child’s education, there
is the urgent need to position it highly within GES by raising its profile and status. To assist in doing
this, GES/MOE could establish a working group made up of government representatives and
prominent educationists in the private and civil society sectors to advocate for KG. This should be
accompanied by effective public relations and communication strategy.
5.0 Phase 1: Child Development, Teacher Training and Outcomes

The Operational Plan has been arranged in such a way as to enable the Ministry of Education (MoE)
and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to seek additional funding partners/investors to engage at
different points of the implementation process and support a particular area of interest that possibly
goes beyond 5 years. In this regard, the leadership of MoE and GES has requested that every item
of the plan be costed so that potential partners/investors can see the broad view.
23
5.1 Child Development Milestones and Assessment

A fundamental part of the Operational Plan is the development of a key document detailing Child
Development Milestones. This will simplify the existing one developed by GES with UNICEF support
in order to make it more manageable, progressive and accessible to parents. To bring clarity to this
subject, especially for those not familiar with early childhood development, this has been explained
in more detail than is usual for an operational plan.
The Child Development Milestone document will have three functions for teachers;
 It will support their understanding of a ‘holistic’ approach to KG education and define

progression in a number of developmental areas: cognitive, communication and language,
physical and social/emotional.
 It will support the planning of appropriate activities closely linked to the KG curriculum and
the identification of next steps in children’s learning
 It will provide a framework for the formative and summative assessment of children’s
progress.
Formative assessment is informal and on-going. Teachers will assess children by observing play,
analysing work done, discussing the children’s ideas and interacting with them in one-on-one and
group situations. They will use these informal means to discover each child’s interests and learning
style and review their progress towards the development milestones. This knowledge of the children
will enable teachers to plan motivating activities. Summative assessment provides a summary of
attainment at the end of the KG year against the development milestones. This informs the child,
24
his/her parents and their next teacher of the knowledge, skills and dispositions they take with them
into the next phase of education.
In addition, the Child Development Milestones document will support parents’ understanding of a
play-based curriculum and how their child’s progress is being assessed. The Child Development
Milestones document will be displayed in the classroom for all to see and discuss both informally
such as when children are collected from school and formally during parent/teacher meetings. The
milestones will be communicated to parents during PTA meetings, where they will be clearly defined.
Advice on how parents can encourage their children to reach these milestones will also be explained.
The Child Development Milestones document will link to the evaluation of the Operational Plan in
measuring outcomes for children.
Development milestones have different forms. They may list specific knowledge and practical skills a
child typically acquires such as the ability to recognise certain numbers or to use scissors to cut out a
shape. Alternatively, they may describe attitudes and dispositions towards learning such as
confidence to choose their own resources in order to tackle a problem or their ability to adapt to
changes in routine or different social situations. ‘Level descriptors’ can help summarise learning in
each area of development and at each age and stage. Having a description of different levels
supports the identification of those children who may have special educational needs as well as
those who are high achievers.
GES and UNICEF have completed work on an assessment tool which details KG Child Development
Milestones in all curriculum areas. However, it is not used to inform planning and its implementation
as an individual child’s record of attainment has been limited; it is 60 pages long and considered too
large for regular use especially with large class sizes. Whilst it provides a good starting point, it will be
essential to redesign this and find ways to record each child’s development and progress in such a
way that is manageable for teachers. One possibility is a shortened form of the current GES
document summarised by four level descriptors for each area of development and for the KG child,
which focus on what a child can do rather than what s/he cannot. Whilst each descriptor would be
‘positive’ the levels could provide indicators as follows;
 RED level indicates concern and the need for further detailed assessment to identify any
special educational need or disorder and the subsequent appropriate intervention and support.
 AMBER level of attainment shows lower than expected attainment.
 GREEN level shows the expected attainment.
 BLUE level indicates higher than expected attainment.
In this model, three such documents will be needed; one for baseline assessment on entry, one for
the end of KG1 and one for the end of KG2.
25
Cognitive Language Physical Social/Emotional

development development development development
Red Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a

description of what description of what description of what description of what a
a child can do but a child can do but a child can do but child can do but
which is a cause for which is a cause for which is a cause for which is a cause for
concern at age 4. concern at age 4. concern at age 4. concern at age 4.
Amber Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a

description of what description of what description of what description of what
an under-achieving an under-achieving an under-achieving an under-achieving
child can do aged 4. child can do aged 4. child can do aged 4. child can do aged 4.
Green Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a

is typically is typically is typically is typically expected
expected of a child expected of a child expected of a child of a child aged 4
aged 4 aged 4 aged 4
Blue Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a

high achieving child high achieving child high achieving child high achieving child
may do aged 4. may do aged 4. may do aged 4. may do aged 4.
These level descriptors would be in poster-form displayed as a constant reference for teachers and
parents. Alongside, would be a second poster, with a class list, to colour code each child’s attainment.
This would be held in confidence by the teacher so as not to embarrass any children whose
attainment is lower or get parents are very defensive about their children’s progress. This needs to
be handled delicately. If parents are offended it could cause them to pull their children out of KG.
Name Cognitive Language Physical Social/Emotional

development development development development
Child 1
Child 2
This kind of approach reduces the need for massive amounts of paperwork making it both financially
viable and practical. Other models need to be investigated in order to find the right one for Ghana
KG.
The KG Child Developmental Milestones should be developed alongside KG National Standards and
Teacher Professional Standards. These should be ready for the Transformational Teacher Training
proposed below. A relatively small amount of funding would be required to complete these
26
activities. With these underpinning many of the other activities, it is vital that these are the first to
be completed and should be within a short timeframe so that the other activities within the OP can
meet the initial 5-year timescale. Completing these would highlight the government’s commitment
to the KG programme and kick start the funding for the rest of the OP to take effect.
In addition to the KG Child Development Milestones, an internationally recognised, standardised

child development tool may need to be identified and applied to provide a baseline for the research
element of the Operational Plan and to measure its effectiveness. Such tools include ASQ (Ages and
Stages Questionnaire), PPVT (Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test), among others.
5.2 A Joined-Up Approach to Pre-service and In-Service Teacher Training

From the Education Management Information System (EMIS) reports for 2011-12, there are 41,484
teachers in KG. Of that number, just 12,920 are trained; representing 31% and 28,564 are untrained,
which is 69%. Collectively, these untrained teachers are responsible for the education of over 1
million 4 and 5 year old Ghanaian children every year, as they embark on the first stage of their
education journey. The task facing this Operational Plan is significant and as has already been
identified, the training of teachers is the most pressing priority.
By taking a holistic view of the teacher training sector, GES can develop a model of teacher training
which addresses the following challenges:
 To transform the attitude and teaching methodology of all KG teachers, both trained &
untrained;
 To link into pre-service training by providing attachments and practical training for student
teachers;
 To develop a network of national trainers to extend the training into every district;
 To develop a cadre of mentors to support the teachers as they adopt the new methodology
and pedagogy; and
 To develop peer support mechanisms through circuit based cluster initiatives.
Model of Excellence: Kumasi Metro
As part of the programme carried under the Millennium Cities Initiative, the Kumasi Metro
Education Directorate began pioneering an alternative approach to KG teacher training in
partnership with the Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation, MASHAV.
The programme focuses on encouraging teachers to adopt a 'learning through play' philosophy in
their classrooms by offering advice on how to create teaching materials, manage classrooms
effectively, and assess pupils' progress objectively. To date roughly 100 teachers have been affected
by the programme, which is demonstrating overwhelmingly positive results in both the attitudes of
teachers and outputs of pupils.
Key to its success has been the leadership and commitment of the Kumasi Metro Education
Director, as well as a strong link with the St. Louis College of Education. These two fundamental
ingredients exist in other parts of Ghana, and will continue to grow as more Colleges of Education
begin accrediting ECE courses.
27
Inspired by the Kumasi Metro/MASHAV project, the GES has concluded that it should embrace the
project as well as initiate a programme of similar principles, which should be formalised and rolled
out to other parts of the country. In so doing, it will seek partnerships between its training
institutions, NGOs, development partners and the private sector throughout Ghana to deliver high
quality training of KG education.
Seven Colleges of Education are currently accredited to offer pre-service courses in ECE, and they are
well placed to play a pivotal role in the initial delivery and subsequent quality assurance of this
training at the pre-service and in-service levels. In time, this role can transition into the delivery and
quality assurance of in-service training.
Figure 4 indicates the four levels of the teacher training programme that GES needs to develop. The
activities within the dark blue circle (1-3) are centred on the College of Education network, and in
time will be delivered using the model KG facilities contemplated within Phase 2 of the OP
programme. The activities in the rectangular section are delivered as outreach training at the district
level.
Figure 4: Four levels of teacher training for transforming kindergarten teaching practice.
Level 1 is the train-the-trainer programme which underpins all subsequent training. This programme
needs to address the systemic lack of understanding around the principles of play-based and activity-
led learning which currently exists amongst the staff responsible for the delivery of pre-service and
in-service training. Variants of the same train-the-trainer programme can be used to increase
28
understanding among current college of education (CoE) and university lecturers, as well as training a
new cohort of lecturers for the new colleges, and training the network of Master Trainers and District
Trainers required to deliver the in-service training programmes.
Level 2 is the pre-service diploma in ECE that is delivered by the CoEs and two Universities. As
identified at level 1, there is a need to include the pre-service lecturers in the train-the-trainer
programme, to enable them to better prepare their pre-service students in the play-based and
activity-led pedagogy that GES is introducing nationwide. There is also a need to expand the current
network of six colleges of education by accrediting further colleges in the delivery of the ECE
Diploma. Further, student teachers can have excellent placements for the third year of their course,
in exemplar schools which are enacting the new approach to kindergarten teaching and learning.
These placements are provided by the clustered Fast-Track Transformational training at level 3.
Level 3 is the Fast-Track & Transformational Training (FTT) which will initially train untrained teachers
(currently teaching) and trainee teachers in conjunction. The course will be focused on the districts in
the vicinity of the Colleges of Education to create a network of high quality exemplar schools where
the student can then go on placement. The training programme is made up of intensive workshops,
combined with regular follow up observation, mentoring and feedback sessions, and will create
circuit-level clustered peer-support networks. Once the appropriate capacity of placements is
reached, the training can be taken on by the colleges as the standard syllabus for the third year
practical placement of the ECE students, with the network of FTT graduates providing clusters of
excellence and a network of skilled practitioners to support the wider scale Mass Participation
Training at level 4.
Level 4 is the Mass Participation Transformational (MPT) training which will train KG teachers (both
trained and untrained teachers) and their assistants nationwide in the new pedagogy and child-
centred activity-based approach to learning. The training will be less intensive than the FTT, and the
graduates of the MPT are not expected to attain the same level of understanding or practice. It will
however provide a strong foundation of good teaching practice that the future in-service education
and training (INSET) and continuous professional development (CPD) programmes can build on. The
MPT will be delivered by the District Training teams with support and mentoring from the Master
Trainers, and like the FTT it will focus on intensive training workshops supported by regular review
and mentoring sessions.
Across both the FTT and the MPT there is a critical need to educate and sensitise head teachers and
GES staff to the importance of KG and the principles that both training programmes are founded on.
It should also be noted that all levels of training will include significant focus on how to create low-
cost teaching resources which can be used in classrooms immediately.
“Swings and roundabouts, as well as being expensive and potentially dangerous, have limited use.
We need to develop the idea of the ‘outdoor classroom’ as a space with rich opportunities for
learning as well as recreation. There is much benefit to be gained from, for example, the use of
every-day and scrap materials to support communication, creativity and cognitive development.
Bamboo can be used to build structures or channels to transport water or pebbles,; old tyres become
stepping stones, seating or planters; fabrics, pegs and washing lines can be used to create shelters or
story-telling tents; old water bottles can be filled with a range of materials for sensory exploration;
cardboard tubes, cable reels and cardboard boxes can be turned into tractors and buses. Offering
29
these kinds of materials to children enables them to initiate their own learning, follow their own
interests, use their imaginations and solve problems with their friends. Children can be much deeper
and more divergent thinkers than we are and we need to facilitate this and watch what they do”
(Pamela Torry, 2012).
This aspect of the training will allow teachers to produce TLMs in the short-medium term, before
other resources are reviewed and redistributed as per Phase 2 (Section 6.6).
5.2.1 Designing -Out Risk in Cascade Training

The need to change attitudes and methodology across a national teacher network requires an
ambitious and large scale training programme. In such circumstances the only viable approach to
training the large numbers of teachers in a new approach is by employing a cascade training
methodology. Cascade training uses tiered levels of train-the-trainer training to cascade knowledge
around a new training approach to a national network of trainers, typically originating from a core
group of expert trainers at the national level, who train master trainers at the regional level, who in
turn train district trainers. The expert trainers design the training package, and the district trainers
are responsible for delivery to the trainees. The master trainers are the conduit for disseminating the
knowledge of the training methodology to a large number of trainers in a short space of time.
Cascade training models are well documented in the developing world, and whilst the methodology
is sound, what emerges from programme reviews is a series of risk factors that can undermine the
successful delivery of the training, and dilute the training methodology and concepts through the
tiers of the cascade process.
In order to develop a model of mass teacher training for KG teachers with the highest chance of
success, GES needs to design out the following five key risks to the programme’s success. Figure 5
illustrates the configuration of a cascade training model as applicable to KG teacher training in
Ghana, and identifies the points at which these key risks occur.
30
Figure 5: Identifying risk in a cascade training model
Risk 1 is that the quality of the initial training is not to a high enough standard. Quite simply if the
training as conceived by the expert trainers does not take into account the context in which it will
eventually be delivered and the varying abilities of the trainees destined to receive it, then it is
unlikely to be successful.
Risk 2 is that as the training is cascaded through the structure, the messages are diluted or distorted
and there is not enough quality assurance to ensure that trainers have understood and can
communicate the ideas and methodology. The content of the training should be clear and concise,
with a core set of key modules which can then be broken down into meaningful training sessions.
The quality assurance needs to come from the previous tier of trainers – i.e. the expert trainers
quality assure the training delivered by the master trainers, and the master trainers quality assure
the delivery of the district trainers.
Risk 3 is that there is little or no ongoing support for the teacher as they begin to put the training
into practice in the classroom. Without regular follow up and mentoring, it is unlikely that many of
the teachers will be successful in actually transforming their teaching practice as the training intends.
Change is difficult to achieve, particularly when it involves moving away from an accepted
convention to something newer and more innovative.
Risk 4 is that not enough attention and investment is given to supporting inputs that enable the
teacher to effectively implement the training. These inputs are all about creating an enabling
environment at the school and classroom level, and examples could be: steps to reduce Pupil-
Classroom ratios, and ensure that children are in the correct class for their age; investment in
infrastructure and resources to allow the teacher to enact activity-led and play-based learning and
31
use outdoor learning areas; and, a supportive and understanding head teacher who embraces the
new pedagogy and teaching approach for kindergarten. Without these additional inputs, it will be
difficult for the teachers to transpose the new approach from the training course into their
classrooms.
Risk 5 is that the new initiative does not have sufficient political or public support to succeed. In the
context of KG teacher training, this refers to buy-in from MoE/GES at the central level, and also
amongst frontline staff at the district level. Parental and community support is also critical. Equally
important is the management capacity within GES to enact the training, and monitor its
effectiveness. MoE and GES also have a vital role to play in ensuring that sufficient funding and
resources are made available to roll out the training nationwide.
Many of these risks also apply to the wider operational plan, though as the teacher training
component has been highlighted as the most pressing priority it is helpful to consider them in this
context.
As with all aspects of the delivery of the operational plan, quality assurance will be a key factor in
determining how far the programme is successful in delivering a quality kindergarten education
service nationwide. At the district level, there are well-established levels of quality assurance, from
the school-based role of the head teacher, through the circuit level supervisors, to the district level
assurance teams, which include key roles such as the KG Coordinator and the District Training Officer.
The cascade training of teachers will necessarily need to be designed with these existing assurance
functions in mind, and the head teachers, circuit supervisors and district officers will need to be
engaged in the concepts and ethos of the training, to enable them to provide supportive supervision
and constructive quality assurance.
5.2.2 Expanding Pre-Service Training

As has been noted above, there is a pressing need to expand the number of Colleges of Education
currently accredited to provide the pre-service training ECE Diploma. At least 12 new colleges of
education should be accredited to offer courses in early childhood education, which potentially,
together with the two universities which offer such courses, could provide pre-service training for
over 2,300 ECE teachers every year.
It is recommended that GES undertake a review of current course content accredited by the
University of Education, Winneba (UEW) and the University of Cape Coast (UCC), and work with them
to develop and implement a streamlined set of pre-service accreditation courses from certificate to
degree level based on current research and theory about how children learn best applied to the
Ghanaian context. The courses should have a strong practical element and provide the opportunity
to put activity based learning into practice. Once this review has been completed and the new course
content is prepared, twelve existing Colleges of Education should be selected for ECE accreditation, in
a two phase roll out. For the pre-service training to be transformative, there will be the need to
orientate/train the current tutors of KG in the colleges of education and universities in early
childhood education (as most of them were not trained in ECE), the KG Child Development
Milestones, the curriculum, and the new performance and professional standards for KG teachers.
This training will also need to be provided to the lecturers from the newly accredited colleges.
The distribution of the Colleges among regions should be based on demographic needs (see
Appendix 2 for current locations of Colleges of Education both accredited for ECE and non-
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accredited), but as a minimum, every region should contain at least one ECE accredited college. The
nationwide distribution of colleges is important for localising the delivery of kindergarten teacher
training and supporting the acquisition of English through local language instruction adopted with
the NALAP programme. To further boost the pre-service component, it is recommended that every
college should run three ECE student classes so that each college turns out 120 new teachers
annually.
The table below illustrates the phased expansion of the ECD accredited Colleges of Education from
seven to nineteen colleges.
Teachers should leave teacher training colleges with self-made ‘resource kits’ of learning games and
activities which can be adapted for different topics and at different levels. Some of the resources
would be teacher-led and others would be pupil-led, which would enable the children to learn the
games and play independently. These resource kits would be additional to the NALAP and TLMP
national resourcing programmes.
The practical component of the pre-service training is critical in equipping the student teachers with
the experience and understanding of how to transfer their theoretical knowledge to the classroom.
The cluster-based Fast-Track & Transformational in-service training that will be supported by the
colleges, will serve the additional purpose of creating a network of high quality placements for the
student teachers during their practical placements.
The pre-service training model recommended requires significant inputs to bring about the kind of
transformational shift in attitude and approach amongst the college lecturers, as it requires
mentoring and supervision which will enable it to be sustainable in the long term.
5.2.3 A Cross-Cutting Train-the-Trainers programme

There is a need to provide train-the-trainer training for both the college lecturers responsible for the
pre-service training, and also the Master and District trainers who will roll out and deliver the two
tiers of in-service training. Both sets of trainers have received periodic training from GES over the last
four years, but a much more intensive programme is required to ensure the new concepts of
33
activity-led and play-based learning, and the combination of teacher-led and child-led learning are
fully understood by the trainers and can be conveyed through a more practical and experiential
approach.
As the desired outcome of both training programmes is the same, i.e. a new approach and teaching
style for KG teachers, then it should be possible to provide the same or similar training to the pre-
service and in-service trainers.
It is recommended that the train-the-trainer programme be developed in year “0” of the operational
plan, and piloted with a small group of college lecturers and master trainers, before it is rolled out to
all colleges, and through the national trainer network.
5.2.4 Fast Track Transformational Training for Untrained & Student Teachers
This training is focused around the network of colleges of education which are accredited to provide
pre-service training to diploma level. This is an intensive, localised teacher training programme which
involves the districts in the immediate vicinity of the college.
The Fast-Track & Transformational training will take place in model KG schools (either at the CoE or in
the district) with classroom based mentoring and observation sessions in the trainees’ own
classrooms, and cluster based peer support sessions which will rotate through the trainees schools.
The FTT is arranged on a cluster basis – in clusters of schools, each drawn from the same circuit.
By including existing but untrained teachers and student teachers in the third year of their diploma
course, the training seeks to bridge the divide between pre-service and in-service teacher training. It
is in the interest of the colleges to have excellent placements in the vicinity of the colleges for the
year that their students spend in the field. In the process of providing an intensive training
programme for a core number of untrained teachers (c.120 per college), this training will create
clusters of excellent teaching practice where pre-service students can hone their skills during their
practical placements.
The model of fast-track transformational training currently under consideration would provide the
following highly intensive annual programme:
• (Inter)national study tour
• 35 days of intensive training workshops (2 weeks – 2 weeks – 2 weeks – 1 week)
• 9 full day refresher training workshops (3 per term)
• 9 half-day peer reflection and planning sessions at a circuit (cluster) level
• 10 days of observation and mentoring sessions, including baseline assessment
Once the critical mass of exemplar schools and good practice has been generated around each
college, the colleges themselves can adopt and take forward the FTT approach to provide training
and additional support for their diploma students as they go into the field on their third year
practical placement.
34
For the existing but untrained teachers, this one year course should result in the award of a
Certificate in Early Childhood Education; however, this is a policy issue to be decided on by the
Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service.
5.2.5 Mass Participation Transformational Training for All KG Teachers & Assistants
It is recommended that the large scale “catch up” training for all KG teachers should be based on 70%
practical and 30% theory, spread over three holidays. To reflect the scale and nature of the training, it
is described as Mass Participation Transformational (MPT) training. In addition to training in
curriculum, pedagogy and classroom management, the programme could include: inclusive
methodologies to care for children with minor special needs and how to detect minor special needs;
the best use of NALAP and TLM resources; the new KG professional standards including the
development milestones and assessment for children in KG.
This one year course should result in the award of a Certificate in Early Childhood Education, which,
as indicated earlier, is a policy issue for the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service. It
will run alongside current INSET activities, with the long term goal being that the two types of
training will merge (retaining a learning through play approach) once all KG teachers have completed
the one year MPT.
The Mass Participation Transformational training model being proposed is very different from the
current training models used in Ghana. It has been developed to include coaching, mentoring,
review and reflection elements and designed to enable sustainable change in teacher practice and
attitudes towards early childhood teaching. With small pockets of theory training over a period of
time, interspersed with on the job practice and support elements (such as mentoring and peer
coaching, review and reflection) the impetus to implement what has been learnt in the theoretical
training is enhanced.
Ghanaian teachers need to learn the importance of self-reflection and evaluation. They need to be
open to constructive criticism in order to enhance their professional development. They also need to
be able to learn from their failures and make adjustments that would lead to better outcomes when
met with a similar situation. There is strong evidence that these elements support training which
can be embedded effectively into practice, provides in school support and build confidence in
teachers to try new ideas and put theory into practice.
The mass participation transformational training currently under consideration would provide the
following annual programme:
• 15 days of training workshops (2 weeks – 1 week)
• 6 days of review and reflection workshops
• 10 half-day reflective and planning workshops
• 8 half-day observation and mentoring sessions
As noted above, it is vital that head teachers are sensitised through the Mass Participation
Transformational Training so that they can support the teachers as they adopt the new approach.
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Teaching assistants would also, by extension, benefit from the District level Transformative Change
Training of teachers. Through school-based sessions, delivered by the teachers who themselves will
receive training at cluster level, the assistants would be exposed to the transformative change
training.
5.3 Monitoring and Evaluation of Outcomes

Monitoring, evaluation and assessment will be a crucial element of the KG Operational Plan and will
occur at different levels and for different purposes.
1. Monitoring of the system and outputs pertaining to inter alia;
a. age-appropriate pupil enrolment
b. pedagogy and teacher professional development
c. curriculum and learning materials
d. infrastructure and learning environment
2. Monitoring of the quality of KG services through inspection and self-evaluation against the
newly devised National Standards (see section 6.7)
3. Monitoring of outcomes for children against the newly revised child development milestones
and through the use of an agreed assessment tool (see section 5.1 above), the outcome of
which will be shared with parents.
Considering that most research and educational institutions are unfamiliar with the new vision and
pedagogy which underpins the KG Scale-up, it is necessary for a Ghanaian higher education
institution to work with an international counterpart or research institution to assess the validity and
success of the operational plan, for a realistic impact evaluation of the outcomes of the operational
plan. This will require baseline, mid-term and end-term surveys to present findings and
recommendations to GES, MoE, other key stakeholders and financial donors. Accepting the
recommendations and acting on them for improvement of the programme would provide GES/MoE
the lessons and the evidence to sustain the national scale up in the long term.
36
6.0 Phase 2: Infrastructure, INSET and branding
6.1 Infrastructure Shortfall

Based on EMIS data, it is estimated that between 5,350 and 29,230 new classrooms will be required
from 2012 to 2017. The infrastructure shortfall in the KG sector will therefore require a huge capital
outlay. At the very least, the following could be done in the short term:
 Build up to 250 model schools (1 per CoE & Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies)
to support the Transformative Change Training of KG teachers
 Carry out major repairs to 5,800 classrooms (EMIS 2011)
 Upgrade all classrooms to a minimum standard (including the provision of outdoor learning
areas)
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6.2 Infrastructure Standards and Policies

Further, a working group for infrastructure standards should be set up to continue the existing work
and fill in the gaps in guidelines/policy for future KG infrastructural development in both the public
and private sectors. Teachers need to be included in the discussion of standards for structure and
layout of the classrooms. The minimum plot size for classrooms, outdoor learning spaces and
playground/recreation areas must be incorporated into policy. It should also include the number of
children per toilet and pupil-classroom and pupil-teacher ratios. The target pupil-classroom ratio
should be 403 and at the current ratio of 63, there is the need to consider planning a phased
approach over the next 5 years, to increase infrastructure to an appropriate level, noting annual
population growth of 2.7%.
Main guidelines to include in minimum standards (ensuring standards account for geographical
differences) for the following areas;
 The school (both location and site dimensions) – consideration should be given to
moving KGs closer to communities (the maximum acceptable distance for a KG child to
walk to school is 3km)
 Buildings (include sick bay and building size/ dimensions per child).
 Dual grade classrooms may be considered in very small rural communities where
numbers of KG1 and KG2 historically have remained low in number. However the
activities should be prescribed as stated in the curriculum for the separate age groups.
 Furniture
 Water & sanitation – for example, hygiene facilities need to be technologically

appropriate and water supplies sustained all year round
 Feeding (both kitchen and dining hall)
 Play equipment.
Local materials should be used in the designing of KGs, and sunlight and natural ventilation should be
taken into account in the design as well especially in areas without electricity. Infrastructure
standards should be set using the model provided by UNICEF’s child-friendly schools framework,
3
The PCR target of 30 is viewed as not realistic in the short to medium term. 40 have been tested successfully
in the Mashav programme in Kumasi, and was shown to be workable, with a teacher and teaching assistan
38
incorporating elements from the Sabre Trust Sustainable Kindergarten Complex approach. Model
classrooms should showcase the best way to arrange indoor and outdoor spaces, and demonstrate
how effective learning environments can be achieved even where brick classrooms are unavailable.
6.3 Indoor and Outdoor Equipment

Simple guidelines and resource lists should be developed for all kindergarten classrooms as a
benchmark for teachers to work towards. It is suggested that the guidelines split equipment into
“must have” items and “optional” pieces of equipment. Criteria for “must have” equipment are
they should primarily support learning, promote problem solving, social skills etc.
Multi-purpose equipment are efficient and effective and would appear on the “must have list”. There
is the need to focus on the effective use of local materials. Materials considered ‘scrap’ can be
valuable for learning, and are cheap and readily available. Such descriptors should be included on
the list of equipment requirements. Teachers need to think creatively concerning the layout of the
learning environment and incorporate pedagogy and the Ghana curriculum. Teachers’ inputs need to
be respected and included with regards to this as well. The learning environment is crucial to
effective KG pedagogy and should reflect children's needs and interests as well as serve the KG
curriculum. Any suggested guidelines for materials which can be used in the indoor and outdoor
learning areas should be treated as such and teachers should be encouraged to incorporate their
own dynamic ideas as well.
6.4 INSET Training for KG Teachers and Assistants

In-service education and training (INSET) is not prioritised in Phase 1 of the OP because it will not be
significantly overhauled over the next 5 years. INSET services, as they currently stand, will continue
alongside the Mass Participation Transformation (MPT) and Fast Track Transformational Training
(FTT) until all KG teachers have been through one of these two schemes. A holistic model of INSET
for KG teachers and teaching assistants, to ensure continuous professional training, can be included
after all KG teachers have received the transformational training or upgraded pre-service training (all
newly qualified teachers).
There is an on-going discussion in Ghana to move away from the current model of 5-day training
blocks as the benefits of coaching, mentoring, review and reflection elements in training are
recognised. Such a supported and resource intensive approach to training is expensive but offers
more sustainable outcomes.
A cohort of over 600 qualified and experienced teacher trainers will exist in Ghana, following the
implementation of the Mass Participation Transformational (MPT) training for KG teachers. A further
114 highly skilled and experienced master trainers will also exist. This pool of trainers would be
confident and knowledgeable enough to become INSET trainers under any newly-formulated GES
INSET programme. This assumes that the GES will change the current system of INSET for KG
teachers to become more centered on mentoring and support (as proposed by TED).
Considering this, it is possible that the end of the fixed term contracts for the District KG Teacher
Trainers will coincide with a review of the methods of training delivery for teachers in Ghana
nationally. If this is the case then these District KG Teacher Trainers could form a pool of specialist
trainers for KG Education.
39
Further discussion, decision and implementation needs to happen over the next two years to enable
the transformative change in INSET in Ghana and enable the profession to make use of the well
trained specialist KG trainers with extensive experience.
When finalising the 12 draft KG INSET modules there needs to be an inclusion of the KG development
milestones. The modules should also build on the transformative change training (catch-up training)
completed by all teachers in phase 1.
6.5 Parents and Public Awareness to Promote KG - Branding

KG currently has a low status not only within the general population but within GES itself. It is
recognized that for the new KG development milestones to be achieved, all stakeholders and the
general public must be on board. Getting parents to understand the new play-based learning
curriculum will be a crucial factor in ensuring the success of the KG Operational plan’s objectives. In
this regard, a public awareness drive to promote the new KG concept and re-brand KG must be
embarked upon.
The public relations (PR) company to be contracted will work with stakeholders, especially the
proposed KG Working Group, to design the logo and documentation, training materials, signage for
KGs and whole corporate image. The sensitisation programme will be carried out through print
media, electronic media (internet/TV/radio), community focused programmes, community/assembly
meetings, church/mosque gatherings, etc. The sensitisation programmes will include:
(i) getting the public to understand that KG education places less emphasis on academics;
(ii) the early childhood development standards for Ghana;
(iii) the benefits of quality KG for the cognitive development of the child;
(iv) promoting parental involvement in PTA/governing body and as ‘supervisors of the KG’;
(v) the image/status of the KG teacher;
(vi) sensitising the community to capture data on children under 4 years old from birth;
(vii) pushing for the acceptance of the use of locally made TLM’s alongside play and learning
equipment by GES in order to increase production to meet the needs of GES;
(viii) a programme with the training colleges and universities to raise the profile of KG in
the minds of students;
(ix) a programme to educate private sector KGs on the agreed ECD standards;
(x) assisting districts to develop programmes that will engage parents in KG education and
explain how they can assist in their child’s learning at home;
(xi) a set of flip charts/slides that each district assembly GES office can use to educate the
parents/public on what a KG should look like.
In keeping with the model schools suggested in section 6.1, every district would have a suitable
venue in which to host open days. This would provide the forum to engage parents in KG education
and explain how they can assist in their child’s learning. Furthermore, encouraging parent
40
participation in PTAs and school governing bodies could be facilitated through the media as well as
district and community-based CSOs.
6.6 Learning Materials and Resources

GES in association with UNICEF has developed a sound and comprehensive curriculum document
which addresses 6 areas of learning and development. Also, NALAP and TLMP materials have been
developed and are in use. The curriculum was deemed by international experts as adequate enough
to be used without immediate review. Though the NALAP and TLMP materials should be reviewed, it
is recommended that more effort be put into training teachers to use these materials in the child-led,
child-centred, activity-based learning. A useful supplementary resource could be a teacher guide on
how to use the curriculum and assessment tool for teachers.
In lieu of spending on expensive learning materials, teachers should be trained in using available
local materials and resources to achieve the expected learning outcomes. They should also be trained
to involve community members in activities with the children.
In phase two, the current curriculum, which will be extensively used in phase one, should be
reviewed, to make it thematic, activity-based and integrated to promote children's holistic
development. The assessment manual should also be reviewed to ensure that it is in line with the
curriculum, the KG development milestones and is user-friendly. Also, NALAP and TLMP should be
merged into a single approach (this is already under review) to provide sustainable resources to
support the delivery of the new KG pedagogy. The Curriculum, Research and Development Division
(CRDD) of GES want 60,000 copies of the curriculum printed and distributed to ensure that every KG
teacher, school heads, circuit supervisor in the country and every centre that is carrying out any form
of KG Teacher training has a copy. It is recommended that key documentation of this nature be put
on the GES website to make it accessible to both private and public KG institutions and teachers
across the country. This will also reduce printing and distribution costs.
6.7 Establish National KG Standards

The establishment of specific National Standards for KG Education in Ghana, applicable to both public
and private schools, will emphasize to all stakeholders and the public the crucial and unique nature
of this mandatory phase of education.
The standards need to provide clear expectations in a number of key areas;
 KG teacher professional standards including:
o level of qualification and continuous professional development (CPD)
o quality of relationships and interaction with children
o understanding child development
o provision of stimulating, activity-based learning experiences based on the KG

curriculum
 Outcomes for KG children using the child development milestones and the KG assessment
tool
41
 Infrastructure, the indoor and outdoor learning environment and resources
 Partnerships with parents and the wider community
Though this component is being recommended for phase two, some standards, such as those
relating to KG teachers, the KG Child Development Milestones and assessment tools, will need to be
considered and then reviewed during phase one to inform the development of the National
Standards in phase two.
It is recommended that the National Standards should be developmental in structure with level
descriptors for each key area indicating where KG schools are ‘under-achieving’, ‘emerging’,
‘established’ or ‘enhanced’ in their provision. The Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS)
and the World Bank, Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) – Early Childhood
Development, use similar developmental approaches to evaluation and data analysis and may
provide models on which to draw. The National Standards will provide the framework for inspection
by the District Directorate or Inspectorate Division of GES, as well as a useful self-evaluation tool to
be used by KG staff, parents and the local community. As such, all stakeholders will require training in
the National Standards.
7.0 Phase 3: Curriculum, Special Needs, and Quality Assurance
Though the following components were not prioritised, they were recognised by stakeholders and
GES as important to work on in the long term.
 A curriculum that is fit for purpose and states the expected outcomes
42
 An efficient referral unit to be able to identify children with minor special needs
 Regular and reliable external supervision and quality assurance through Inspection that
monitors and evaluates the self-assessment and evaluation process
 Regular and reliable self-assessment and evaluation for KG where KG staff, parents and the
wider community come together to seek improvement
In implementing the above components, the following should be taken into account:
 There should be a review of the KG Child Development Milestones, alongside the KG

assessment, teacher guide and training, before the curriculum is reviewed.
 Special needs training as part of the pre-service curriculum should cover identification and
methodology. It should enable practical use of methodologies by forming part of the
rationalization of the syllabus for pre-service training.
 When launching the inspection and self-evaluation tools, pilot schools must reflect the
breadth of school quality, crosscutting public and private sectors as well as urban, semi-
urban and rural schools.
 The self-evaluation tool should seek to address: (i) statistical information; and (ii) quality in
other aspects of KG: relationships, environment, resources, planning, parental participation,
etc.
8.0 Conclusion
The process involved in developing the operational plan for the national scale up of KG education in
Ghana has taken longer than expected. However, it has been a participatory and collaborative
process with the participation of a broad spectrum of stakeholders, and the active leadership of
Government. As requested by Government, the plan is comprehensive and has been designed in
three phases, though there is acknowledgement that the phases are not on strictly sequential basis
and allow for a degree of overlap.
The plan lays out a Ghanaian pedagogy and vision for KG, with emphasis on activity-based, child-
centred and child-led learning. This vision for KG education will be driven by the new pedagogy based
on teacher understanding of how children learn and develop. This will result in a fresh approach to
the current curriculum and child assessment. The development of a key document detailing child
development milestones will simplify the existing one developed by GES with UNICEF support in
order to make it more manageable, progressive and accessible to parents. For this to become a
reality in the classroom, all stakeholders acknowledged the importance of training the existing
workforce, the KG teacher and his/her assistant (trained or untrained), the leadership in the school
(head teacher) and the staff in the district, region and national offices, in this new pedagogy and
vision. This accounts for the mass participation transformational training in the OP. To ensure that
the KG teachers who come out of the colleges of education (CoE) are sufficient to fill existing
vacancies and future attrition, as well as trained in the new pedagogy, a fast track transformational
training has been designed for them and the Colleges of Education accredited in ECE to be increased
from the current seven to nineteen.
43
To assess the validity and success of the operational plan, and for a realistic, unbiased impact
evaluation of the outcomes of the operational plan, an international and a Ghanaian higher
education institution will be contracted to jointly undertake independent monitoring and evaluation.
In addition, monitoring and evaluation will happen at other levels, including the outcomes for
children against the newly revised child development milestones and through the use of an agreed
assessment tool.
While there was acknowledgement that there are other aspects of KG which need equal attention,
the consensus was that whatever funding is mobilised will go first to the phase one activities, while
government engages potential donors to consider the phase two and three activities. For this reason,
they were also costed. These include: Infrastructure shortfall; Infrastructure standards and policies;
Indoor and outdoor equipment; Public awareness to promote KG (Branding); Learning materials and
resources; Establishment of National KG Standards; Curriculum development in line with the revised
child development milestones; Special needs; and Quality assurance.
For the successful implementation of the operational plan, certain operational and policy issues have
been identified for the immediate consideration of the management of GES and MoE. These include
the need for resourcing the ECE Unit to manage the operational plan; increased funding to the KG
sector to the target set in the ESP of 5.7% of MoE funds; commitment by GES/MOE to expand ECE
accredited Colleges of Education; award of a Certificate in Early Childhood Education and an increase
in salary for the untrained teachers who complete the one year mass participatory transformational
training.
With this plan in place, what is now left is for the Government of Ghana and its development
partners to initiate its immediate implementation.
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Baseline situation for KG in Ghana (Summary)
Compared to other African countries, Ghana has made great strides in Early Childhood Education. It
has high enrolment rates (GER 98.4%) at the kindergarten level (KG), the existence of a large teacher
workforce (31,595 teachers, 41,484 if the private sector is included), a comparatively strong private
sector, and small scale examples of good practice. There are still significant challenges facing the
Ghana Education Service (GES) in scaling up quality kindergarten education nationwide however. The
current approach to KG closely resembles the established structure for formal basic education, with
two years of classroom-based formal instruction, three years of pre-service training for new teachers
and a large teacher workforce on government payroll. This is a structure which will require
massive, prolonged investment that will significantly stretch GoG resources in order to scale up
quality KG. Also there are key implementation challenges: 1) quality of teaching is low and there are
many untrained teachers; 2) the pedagogy is mainly rote-based instruction; 3) parental support is
weak; 4) KG specific outcomes are not measured using existing assessment tools; 5) KG provision is
not evenly distributed.
The following sections, taken from the Situational and Stakeholder Analysis reports and the reports
of the five Technical Working Groups for the scaling-up of KG, outline in greater detail, Ghana’s KG
education system baseline situation:
2.1 Teacher training
 7 out of 38 Colleges of Education are accredited by the University of Cape Coast (UCC) to
provide certification to diploma level for Early Childhood Education (ECE) (see appendix 3 for
map of where the Colleges of Education are placed).
 Between 2008 and 2012 these colleges turned out approximately 600 KG teachers annually.
 There are currently two Early Childhood Education (ECE) accreditation programmes running -
one by the University of Cape Coast (UCC) and the other by the University of Education,
Winneba (UEW) - with no common syllabus.
 From the Education Management Information System (EMIS) report for 2011-12, there are
41,484 teachers in KG. Of that number, just 12,920 are trained; representing 31% and 28,564
are untrained, representing 69%. From the situational analysis report, of the 31% trained
teachers, only 30% are trained specifically in Early Childhood Education. It is unclear how many
ECE trained teachers are specifically trained to support KG (i.e. 4 & 5 years old) or under 4s.
 The extent to which existing KG teachers are availing themselves of opportunities for in-service
education and training (INSET) is currently unknown.
 It is uncertain whether the INSET that is provided is appropriate given the needs of the KG
teachers.
 There is a shortage of accredited institutions to train teachers in ECE and a gap in the provision
of training for the trainers and tutors that lead the courses.
45
 Opportunities allowing teachers to upgrade their skills and qualifications include;
- in-service training,
- paid study leave,
- sandwich courses,
- distance learning, and
- one-off training.
2.2 Curriculum and pedagogy
 GES in association with UNICEF has developed a sound and comprehensive curriculum
document which addresses 6 areas of learning and development.
 Teacher pedagogical practice typically shows a lack of understanding as to how children should
learn and how teachers should teach.
 The aims and rationale of the curriculum are not evident in classroom pedagogy.
 The curriculum delivery is largely based on rote learning methods relating to letters and
numbers. Practice is neither child-centred nor activity-based.
 Average class sizes of 64 children make it very difficult to effectively assess the progress of each
individual child. (EMIS 2010-11)
 GES, in association with UNICEF, has developed a Pupil Assessment Toolkit for KG teachers
(2008), which has been distributed to schools. However, not all teachers have access to it or
have been trained to use it.
 National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP) and Textbooks and Learning Materials
Programme (TLMP) are two separate national resource schemes based on different pedagogies
with no apparent collaboration or consultation between them.
2.3 Infrastructure
 KG classrooms are often attached to a primary classroom which is unsatisfactory if child-

centred learning (active, activity based and learning through play) is to be carried out
effectively; healthy KG noise levels disturb the primary school students and teachers.
 Many classrooms have poor ventilation, poor lighting and thin roofing (noisy during rainfall).
 The classroom setting is too structured and geared towards academic work.
 The current size of classrooms is not big enough to allow for ‘break out’ spaces or learning
centres which support child-centred active learning; there is also little support for varied indoor
and outdoor learning environments.
46
 51% of public KG schools lack access to toilet facilities - this leads to children using nearby
bushes, a situation which is both unsanitary and dangerous.
 19% of public KG schools lack access to drinking water.
 GES recommends that one balanced meal be provided to each KG child every day. Currently this
is not being practised in most public KGs.
2.4 Quality Assurance
 Teacher absenteeism is high, particularly in deprived areas.
 Some teachers fail to report to duty without reason.
 Some teachers’ behaviour is inappropriate towards the children for a variety of reasons;
physical/verbal abuse, didactic teaching style, children left to own devices without
stimulation or supervision.
 Teaching profession has low status nationally and KG teachers are therefore not respected as
highly as is necessary by the community given the critical importance of their role.
 Teachers are not practicing child-centred active learning pedagogies in their delivery.
 The current assessment model is impractical for teachers to use with large numbers of KG
children, due to the large number of indicators and volume of paperwork required.
 There are many documents pertaining to inspection and quality assurance but a general lack
of clarity and understanding of expectations and required standards amongst teachers, Head
Teachers and those supporting them.
2.5 Government KG Support services
 KG currently has a low status not only within the general population but also within GES itself.
 Established patterns mean that sector ministries are not coordinated in their approach to the
planning and implementation of early childhood development (ECD).
 A special needs referral system is in place but peripatetic officers are missing and not equitably
deployed.
 Specialist care units for the severely disabled are not easily accessible and few in number.
 Units to detect minor special education needs (dyslexia, autism etc.) are few and not equitably
deployed.
 30% of children are older than the official age when they start first grade in primary school.
This contributes to repetition and drop-out rates. Research in neurobiology tells us that
children are highly susceptible to positive influences at 4 and 5 years of age, which can bring
significant positive impacts in the primary school years.
47
 The presence of over-age children means the system is not catering specifically to the needs of
4 and 5 year olds at such a crucial stage in brain development.
 Under 4’s, who have simply followed older siblings to school and are waiting to leave with
them, can be found in KG classrooms or loitering around school compounds/under trees.
48
Appendix 2: Operational Plan for scaling up quality KG education – Broad Framework
49
Appendix 3: Current Distribution of Colleges of Education
Current Distribution of ECE accredited Colleges Distribution of all Colleges of Education
50

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Ministry of Education

Ghana Education Service

Programme to Scale-Up Quality

Narrative Report to Support the Operational Plan to

Situational and Stakeholders Analysis Reports Team

High Level Steering Committee Members

Technical Working Group 1: Teachers and Caregivers Professional

Technical Working Group 2: Curriculum, Pedagogy and Materials

Technical Working Group 3: Access and Equity, Infrastructure and

Technical Working Groups 4: Decentralized Planning, Integration

Technical Working Groups 5: Quality Assurance, Accreditation and

PTR Pupil-Teacher Ratio

2.0 Process for Arriving at Operational Plan Priorities

Phase 3: Focus on reviewing curriculum, inspection, internal monitoring and evaluation,

3.0 Defining a Ghanaian Pedagogy for Kindergarten

The aspiration is for all kindergartens to have;

3. An outdoor learning environment/space which ensures learning is not constrained to the

9. Continuous professional development for all teachers/educators and trained KG assistants

Figure 1: Vision for KG: Quality

4.0 Overarching Considerations Relating to the Operational Plan

4.3 NALAP and TLMP Materials

4.4 The Role of the Private Sector in KG Education

Indicator Public Private

Kindergarten Schools 13,263 5,538

Schools with toilets (%) 49% 72%

Schools with drinking water (%) 81% 83%

Classrooms in need of major repairs (%) 28% 7%

Teacher population 31,595 9,889

Trained teachers (%) 38.8% 6.7%

Pupil-Trained Teacher Ratio (PTTR) 96:1 471:1

Figure 2: (source EMIS 2011)

Region No. of PS as % Enroll. in PS enroll. No. of PS No. of un-

Ashanti 1,195 36.6% 76,527 28.5% 2,277 27.1% 2,114

Brong Ahafo 444 22.4% 29,981 16.4% 883 16.3% 847

Central 877 39.4% 45,522 28.6% 1,595 34.6% 1,493

Eastern 664 28.1% 32,284 19.7% 1,034 19.6% 951

Greater Accra 1,100 64.0% 50,431 42.3% 1943 45.8% 1,756

Northern 202 10.9% 12,375 7.5% 386 11.8% 368

Upper East 80 11.2% 10,181 14.0% 143 10.6% 137

Upper West 37 6.7% 2,733 5.5% 113 9.7% 102

Volta 383 18.8% 16,750 12.8% 576 16.3% 552

Western 556 26.5% 33,906 18.4% 939 22.2% 909

Figure 3: (source EMIS 2011)

4.5 Coordinating the Implementation of the Operational Plan

4.6 Measures to be taken for the Successful Implementation of the

 Require kindergarten teacher qualifications be linked to professional standards already

4.7 Policy Considerations

5.0 Phase 1: Child Development, Teacher Training and Outcomes

5.1 Child Development Milestones and Assessment

 It will support their understanding of a ‘holistic’ approach to KG education and define

 AMBER level of attainment shows lower than expected attainment.

 GREEN level shows the expected attainment.

 BLUE level indicates higher than expected attainment.

Cognitive Language Physical Social/Emotional

Red Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a

Amber Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a

Green Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a Insert here a