Right To Play, an education-focused non-governmental organization has donated 30,000 textbooks valued at GHS 600,000 to some selected basic schools in the Northern Region under the Standard Based Curriculum programme.
The donation also includes projectors and other office equipment.
According to Evans Akannue Atim, Area Manager for Right To Play, the donations form part of its Expanded Partners in Play Project (P3) whose goal is to improve the quality of education for Ghanaian girls and boys aged 6 to 12 years through playful learning.
He said this when he presented the consignment to the Northern Regional Directorate of Education on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, in Tamale.
“The Expanded Partners in Play Project (P3) is an opportunity to strengthen the key levers of Right To Play’s Learning Through Play (LTP) model for systemic, sustainable change in teaching and learning nationally across Ghana.”
The Partners in Play Project (P3) seeks to empower children to become creative, engaged, and dedicated to lifelong learning, and it is being implemented in 55 districts across three regions in Ghana, namely the Greater Accra region, the Volta Region, and the Northern region.
Some benefactor districts include Ga South Municipality, Weija-Gbawe Municipality, Keta Municipality, Anloga district, Kumbungu district, Savelugu Municipality, and Tolon district, and 48 indirect districts from the three regions mentioned.
The textbooks comprised English language, Mathematics, and Science as well as projectors, flip chart papers, boxes of A4 sheets, and boxes of markers to facilitate the cascading of training for teachers in their respective districts.
The NGO is currently promoting a play-based methodology of teaching across its partner schools, and the Ministry of Education has approved the concept to run in schools. Commenting on the gesture, the Northern Regional Director of Education, Dr. Peter Attafuah, said Right to play’s consistent support to promoting basic literacy was commendable.
He however called on headteachers and teachers to avoid absenteeism and ensure the effective use of the books.
“Information I am getting is that even in Kumbungu, most of your teachers don’t stay in school, and they use only three days in teaching. Those who will go and spend a weekend will leave on Monday, and they get to their school around let’s say 10:00 am. If you get to school around 10:00 am, how much of contact hours is left?” the Director questioned.
“Those who teach around Savelugu, Tolon, instead of staying in the communities prefer to stay in Tamale where they think they will be more comfortable and all these go against the delivery terms of our teaching ”, Dr Attafuah said.
Right To Play said the P3 project which is being implemented in the selected districts kick-started in October 2020 when it trained 479 (318 m/ 61f) teachers from the three districts in the Northern region, engaged 240 junior leaders, 120 teacher champions, over 240 parents’ executives and opinion leaders.