The Education Ministry is encouraging play-based learning (PBL) methodology in preparing teacher trainees at the various Colleges of Education.

According to the Director of Pre-Tertiary at the Ministry of Education, Nana Baffour Awuah, the use of play by instructors at the Colleges of Education will equip Ghanaian teachers with the know-how to incorporate playful learning in their classrooms.

“It is better for teachers to learn the play-based learning (PBL) method early. When we train the teachers using play, they can easily use this methodology in their lesson delivery,” he said. “

The Director of Pre-Tertiary at the Education Ministry made a comment on the sideline of the Joint Program Steering Committee (PSC) meeting organised by Right To Play in collaboration with the Ministry of Education on May 10, 2022.

The PSC meeting brought together partners and stakeholders in education to discuss the ways play-based learning impacts the learning outcome of Ghanaian girls and boys. It was also to afford participants the opportunity to discuss the scale-up of PBL across Ghana.

The Joint Program Steering Committee (PSC) meeting is under the Partners in Play Project funded by The LEGO Foundation and the Gender-Responsive Education And Transformation (GREAT) Project funded by Global Affairs Canada.

Speaking at the meeting, Right To Play Ghana Country Director, Josephine Mukakalisa, said the organisation is actively supporting the Ghana Education Service to implement the standard-based curriculum through the training of teachers to improve their delivery in the classroom.

She noted that when the delivery of teachers in the classroom is child-centred and actively engages the learners, it helps to address children's learning outcomes.

“When children learn through play, they enjoy playing; they are motivated to come to school, their attendance increase and dropout reduce and all the children - girls and boys get the equal opportunity to learn at the same level, and no one is left behind,” Madam Josephine Mukakalisa said.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, lauded Right To Play for its great works across the country in promoting the play-based learning approach.

“I heard many impactful stories around play-based learning and how its introduction has improved the capacity of our teachers and transformed teaching and learning in Ghanaian classrooms.

"I want to congratulate Right To Play on this achievement, and as a partner, the Education Ministry and its agencies are readily available to support this approach across the country,” the speech read.