Accra Academy School was the venue for a Headteachers’ Conference that served as a knowledge exchange and impact follow-up event of a project entitled ‘Exploring equity and social justice education provision in Ghana: Support for evidence-based and research-informed policymaking’.

This project was supported by the Research England Policy Fund Grant (ref. RE-P-2024-01), awarded to Dr Denise Mifsud, Associate Professor at the University of Bath, as principal investigator.

The conference served as a platform for Dr Mifsud to share her project findings with the headteachers and various officials present.

The main aim of this project was to explore how education policies are tackling equity and social justice challenges in compulsory public education in Ghana, and how these policy priorities, in turn, are being perceived and enacted within schools.

Data was collected from two main stakeholders: teachers and headteachers via a mixed-methods survey, with a sample of the latter also participating in interviews.

This project was focused on the Greater Accra region, and participation was open to teachers and headteachers serving in basic and senior high schools in the public and private sectors.

The majority of the research study participants, who hailed from the public education sector, replied very positively in terms of the present policy provision by the Ghana Education Service, that has translated into increased access to schooling, mainly through policies and initiatives such as the School Feeding Programme, the Inclusive Education Policy, Free Senior High School, and the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP).

The greatest challenge lies in the implementation gaps from policy to practice, layers of bureaucracy, and the lack of sustainability of certain policies, especially when it comes to ICT in education.

Headteachers, especially, expressed their concern about the gap in provision between urban and rural schools, particularly in terms of school physical infrastructure, teaching and learning materials, teacher deployment, ICT provision, and community engagement.

Despite hindrances to equity and social justice in schools, headteachers in Ghana are doing a remarkable job in SDG4 provision to students via culturally responsive teaching, addressing students’ diverse needs and interests, giving teachers and students a voice, building school culture and community trust, and staff training.

During the conference, the headteachers from basic and senior high schools had the opportunity to share their own experiences about leadership for social justice and equity, thus generating a very insightful discussion about the main issues encountered by school leaders in the Ghana education system.

The headteachers also had the opportunity to participate in a workshop outlining ‘The Headteachers’ Toolkit: Leadership for Social Justice and Equity’ that was specifically designed by Dr Mifsud as one of the project outcomes, to serve as a reflexive instrument for headteachers.

This was received very positively by the Headteachers present, as noted in their conference feedback forms. Some example testimonials are: ‘I shall use the Toolkit as part of my day-to-day guide’; and ‘I plan to integrate the Toolkit into my leadership planning sessions and staff development programs, as well as to conduct self-assessment and set measurable goals’.

This conference,  sponsored by Dr Mifsud’s Research England Policy Fund Grant (ref. RE-P-2024-01), was organized in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, and the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA).

Education officials attended the Headteachers’ Conference and addressed the audience present, highlighting the importance of the project findings and activities for future impact.

These were Mr Kofi Kwakye and Mr Moses Gemeh, Education Officers from the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, and Ms Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, Deputy Director General, IEPA.

A representation of headteachers from the private sector also attended, together with Mr Obenso Nana Kwasi Gyetuah,  Executive Director of the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS).

The writer, Dr Denise Mifsud, Associate Professor in Educational Leadership, Management and Governance, Department of Education, University of Bath.