In a series of residential learning summits, the participants made up of regional and district directors of education, and teachers, who are referred to as Change Leaders were equipped with the skills, strategies and leadership capacities to help them build thriving learning ecosystems for children.

From January to March, 2023, the Change Leaders in the Kwahu Afram Plains North District and the Builsa North Municipality benefited from this pilot training.

The first three districts to benefit in 2022 were Lambussie, Akuapem South and Bosome Freho.

Through the District Change Leadership Programme, a network of educators and individuals are being targeted as part of the transformational agenda to support improvements to the education system in the country

It was funded by the Jacob’s Foundation a philanthropic organisation that invests in education to support children to thrive.

The programme was designed and delivered by White Loop, an international education consultancy and supported by the Ghana Education Service (GES) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Ghana.

Learning outcomes

An Education Specialist, UNICEF Ghana, Tillmann L. Guenther told participants in Kumasi that the programme was essential to improving children’s learning to be able to read and write.

He said the project linked with the Ministry of Education’s Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2018-2030 to promote quality education and learning.

Mr Guenther said the participants were key actors in the building of communities of excellence as they would help improve the learning of children at the district level, as well as having the influence to promote positive change.

He said the project was a reflection of UNICEF Ghana’s education sector programming and the organisation’s commitment to making sure that children had the necessary tools to reach their learning goals.

Rationale

A Co-Lead Facilitator for White Loop in Ghana, Jennifer Agyeman, said the training would improve the educational system in Ghana, as well as fostering a culture of diversity within communities.

“Through collaboration, we have come together to equip participants with leadership and collaboration skills, as well as other tools to help them to be more influential," she said.  

Part of the learning involved challenging assumptions within communities so that behaviours could be changed and collaboration could be stronger.

Another Co-Lead Facilitator for White Loop and founder of The Fabulous Woman Network (a Kumasi-based NGO), Ama Duncan, said the programme was to enhance education and build the capacities of participants, while connecting them to other people in the ecosystem in order to multiply their impact.

“This will sharpen participants to perform better in order to generate impact in their communities and to ensure that this impact is more sustained than before," she said.

The Chief of Kwahu Asabi and one of the participants, Nana Otukwa VI, said since education was beyond the classroom, it was important for community leaders to be part of the education process and play a role in providing diverse learning opportunities across districts.