Early childhood education project launched in North East Region

An early childhood education project has been launched in Walewale in the North East Region. Dubbed: “Quality and inclusive early childhood education services for all children (QAIECE)”, the $1.5-million project will provide facilities for some schools to improve teaching and learning for about 1,042 kindergarten pupils in the West Mamprusi and the East Mamprusi municipalities in the region.

It will also support in-service training of 27 teachers on the new curriculum, including learning through play-based methodology, train circuit supervisors and provide water facilities for the beneficiary schools to ensure quality education opportunities for four to five-year-old children.

Funded by the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the three-year project is being implemented by a consortium of non-governmental organisations, comprising Children Believe, ChildFund Korea and AG-CARE Ghana.

Promoting ECE

At the launch of the project in Walewale, the Country Director of Children Believe, Esenam Kavi De Souza, said it was in line with the national early childhood education (ECE) policy framework.

She said the project would impact the lives of more than 132,864 people, including children and adults, in 30 communities in the beneficiary municipalities.

“We recognise the importance of starting right; the early childhood period provides a window of opportunity that must be maximised to provide the right foundation for children,” she said.

Ms De Souza called for more investment in ECE to lay a solid foundation for children.

Significance

The Director in charge of ECE at the Ghana Education Service (GES), Vida Barbara Ntow, said ECE was key to the holistic development of every child, irrespective of race, colour, disability or ethnicity.

She said when children were denied education, it deprived them of play and other critical things of childhood, such as cognitive, motor, physical, social, emotional and language development.

Ms Ntow said the GES and its partners were collaborating to develop a policy document to serve as a guide on how families and communities could best be engaged in the provision of ECE in the country.

Commendation

The North East Regional Education Director, Simon Anane Amokasi, said the provision of quality ECE had been a challenge in the region and expressed gratitude to KOICA and the implementing partners for the intervention.

He pledged the support of his outfit to the successful implementation of the project.

The Deputy Country Director of KOICA, BoSung Jeang, also expressed the organisation’s continuous support to Ghana, especially in the provision of quality education.

Writer’s email:mohammed.fugu@graphic.com.gh