7. Examples of Successful Quality Improvement Initiatives in Ghana There have been a number of initiatives in Ghana aimed at ensuring qual...
7. Examples of Successful Quality Improvement Initiatives in Ghana There have been a number of initiatives in Ghana aimed at ensuring quality in the country’s educational provision: The Quality Improvement in Primary Schools (QUIPS) Programme The USAID QUIPS programme, which was initiated in 1997, works in collaboration with MOE, GES, District official’s and community representatives, to increase the effectiveness of the primary education system. The programme supports interventions at three levels, that is, school, community, and district. At the school level, training is 21 provided to teachers, School Heads,
Circuit Supervisors and other district officials. At the community level, awareness and mobilization are supported for strengthening school management committees (SMC) and PTAs. Improving the management capacity at the district level includes planning, budgeting and financial administration. This last intervention also provides grants for the District Education office. Each year approximately 75 new schools and communities are selected to participate in the USAID QUIPS programme. Each group receives two years of interventions similar to those described above. This year 88 partnership schools were selected from 22 districts. To date, QUIPS has provided interventions in over 400 partnership schools and communities in all regions and 96 districts, reaching a total of about 112,000 primary students. A mid-term assessment of the QUIPS programme indicates that the programme is impacting positively on teaching and learning outcomes in primary schools throughout the country. Childscope is a UNICEF sponsored programme, which is helping to improve children’s reading, writing and numeracy skill in primary schools.
Performance Monitoring Test (PMT) and School Performance Appraisal and Meetings (SPAM) The PMT and SPAM, which were introduced in 1998, have proved to be effective tools in monitoring, teaching and learning outcomes in basic schools. The PMT is a test in English and Mathematics administered to 25% - 50% of pupils in public schools. The results are discussed at School Performance Appraisal Meetings (SPAM) where parents have the opportunity to analyze the performance of their children and map out strategies for improving their performance and school achieving set targets. Record suggests that the initiative has impacted positively on quality teaching and learning in schools.
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