Ghana is one of the few countries with a two-year education policy for kindergarten as part of its commitment to Free and Compulsory Basic Education, which places it ahead of the curve compared to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Recognizing the benefits of early childhood education (ECE) and investing in this area over the past two decades, the Ministry of Education (MoE)/Ghana Education Service (GES) has increased national efforts and equitably expanded kindergarten services, especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

Since 2000, MoE/GES has actively worked towards achieving universal access to pre-primary education and boasts of gross enrollment over 100% (1.7 million children in kindergarten, regardless of their age) with an achievement of gender parity (Ghana EMIS 2018-2019).

Kindergarten helps children be ready to learn in primary and beyond

As the Deputy Director-General of the GES and implementers of the MoE’s policies, my and the entire leadership’s vision is to respond to the needs of Ghanaian children to ensure that they all have a fair chance to be “ready for learning” in primary school.

While kindergarten is integrated in the Education Sector Plan (ESP 2018-2030) and the Education Sector Medium-Term Development Plan (ESMTDP 2018-2021), there was a concern that the uniqueness and distinctiveness of kindergarten might be overshadowed and overlooked in the broader basic education space. 

In order to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and quality of pre-primary education in Ghana, the key question to tackle was, how do we ensure that the early education systems’ particular features and challenges are articulated and highlighted so that they are systematically and substantially addressed?

Little did I know that the answer was to be found right at my doorstep through a new, innovative diagnostic and planning process that is developing into a comprehensive “Kindergarten Policy Framework” consisting of (1) a kindergarten-specific policy directive; (2) a detailed costed kindergarten operational plan; and (3) an accompanying monitoring and evaluation framework.

Diagnostic and planning workshop: identifying and overcoming challenges to universal quality pre-primary

The process began with a collaborative diagnostic workshop in June 2018, engaging the MoE/GES and key partners to assess the pre-primary landscape in Ghana. The workshop also helped to identify priority challenges and associated strategies across the subsector to improve the provision of equitable and quality ECE. Findings from the diagnostic workshop revealed, for example, weak coordination mechanisms among key ECE stakeholders that are essential for collective impact; inadequate family and community engagement; and limited data from the sub-national level to better inform policy decisions.

A key result from this exercise was the establishment of a “core technical working group” of ECE stakeholders tasked to take forward the findings from the workshop and craft the “Kindergarten Policy Framework” aligned with ESP 2018-2030 and ESMTDP 2018-2021. The framework aimed at reducing inefficiences and maximizing results of children’s school readiness. This core team consists of GES planning officers, staticians and ECE and M&E experts, research and program officers from key NGOs and donor agencies, and serve as technical experts and champions for ECE.

Bright Dey, a participating GES Planning Officer and member of the core team, says he benefited from the work because it, “gave me a lof of exposure on most of the critical child development issues, which we often overlook in our educational planning processes. I’m now better off to deliver improved planning for quality ECE.”

BELDS launch re-energizes stakeholders’ commitment for early learning and strengthens engagement

Following the diagnostic workshop, the timely launch of the Better Early Learning and Development at Scale (BELDS) Initiative in Ghana re-energized the ECE agenda and strengthened the capacity of the core technical group to shape and deliver the “Kindergarten Policy Framework”.

With financial and technical support from BELDS, the technical working group has completed the near-final draft of the policy, the costed operational plan and the accompanying monitoring and evaluation framework. As part of the development of the operational plan, the MoE/GES will explore how to increase the fiscal space through efficiency gains, and leverage targeted and catalytic financing (domestic financing and public-private partnerships) to reduce inequalities and improve quality. 
 

BELDS will help Ghana achieve universal quality pre-primary education

Ghana remains steadfast in its commitment to improve the quality of ECE service delivery and ensure universal access. Going forward, we will sustain all efforts under BELDS and strengthen institutional mechanisms so that all Ghanaian children – especially the most disadvantaged – can attend quality kindergarten and are ready to learn in primary school and beyond.