BFI Updates: Press Releases

Press Releases

INTERNATIONAL LITERACY INSTITUTE

June 2005
Progress Report Update on Bridges to the Future Initiative (BFI) in
Ghana - ICT for Teacher Training

Overview: A major national education priority in Ghana is improving the quality of basic education, through improved pre-service and in-service teacher training. International evidence strongly supports investment in teacher training to address this priority. New ICT and multimedia tools now make it possible to make important gains in teacher quality and teacher retention – and hence children’s learning achievement. The Bridges to the Future Initiative (BFI) is a global effort to use appropriate, high-quality, and culturally sensitive multimedia to improve teaching in Ghana as part of MOES priorities.

Background: On average, 20 out of 100 school-aged Ghanaian children do not enter primary school; in poor communities, that figure jumps to 35%. Further, approximately 50 out of 100 children in poor areas do not go beyond primary school, and many of these lack basic skills necessary for good jobs. In addition, at the Junior secondary level, about 37% of school-aged children are not in school. Recent data from TIMSS show that Ghana’s science and math achievement is quite low when measured by international standards. This result appears to be due to three factors: an insufficient foundation in basic skills, high reliance on rote learning, and poor preparation of teachers starting at the primary.

In sum, the available research suggests that there are several key areas in need of improvement in Ghana’s educational system, including: (a) Improving teacher training; (b) Increasing student motivation via better teaching and improved instructional materials; (c) Improved management and administration; and (d) Better development links between schools and communities.

In this context, the ILI/Penn and the University of Education at Winneba signed an agreement in August 2004 to work in collaboration on the BFI-Ghana program. The focus of this work will be on a set of challenges to improve teaching and learning in Ghana, such as those that follow.

Social and Educational Inequalities:

There are large social inequalities of gender, ethnicity and language in Ghana

Youth and adult illiteracy in Ghana is too high, and low literate parents and older siblings inhibit the formation of pro-literacy practices in children and youth.

Access:

ICT-tools still reach mainly the most reachable, where there is an ‘installed base’ of infrastructure (electricity grid, telephones).

Even when access to ICT is achieved, the poorest half of Ghana – with diverse language skills, little English fluency, and few multi-lingual resources – cannot take good advantage.

In poor areas, the quality of primary school instruction and learning achievement is decreasing as access has increased, and teacher training remains insufficient; thus, basic literacy and math skills are not achieved.

Teacher Quality and Retention:

Recent data showed that Ghana has the second lowest rate of teacher retention in Africa (at an average of only 8 years as a teacher, ranking only after Botswana).

Before employment, approximately approximately 40% of Ghana’s primary school teachers have received little or no training in education.

After employment in schools, primary school teachers are often isolated, dispersed and most receive little or no in-service teacher training.

Teachers lack the training and language skills and resources to be effective community development agents.

Benefits:
Through the BFI, Ghana will be able to participate in a global effort to reach and improve the lives disadvantaged populations through teacher training, and be part of various pan-African and international initiatives in the domain.

For more information, contact:
Prof. Dan Wagner
wagner@literacy.upenn.edu
www.literacy.org
ILI/University of Pennsylvania