A two-day workshop aimed at empowering heads of Public and Private Basic schools and School Improvement and Support Officers (SISOs) on leadership skills has ended at the University of Cape Coast.
Organised by the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), the participants were taken through exemplary leadership, learning-focused management, intensive practical sessions on role modelling, and practical learning.
Participants were also trained in how to engage and collaborate with their communities, how to mobilise resources, among other skills, for the smooth implementation of their visions.
The training formed part of activities marking IEPA’s 50th anniversary and its five years as a UNESCO Category II Centre of Excellence.
In his opening remarks ahead of the training, the Director-General of the IEPA, Prof. Michael Boakye-Yiadom, indicated that effective school leadership was a prerequisite for achieving learning outcomes.
To him, school leadership must be focused on ensuring academic and skills development rather than mere administrative work.
Putting premium on practical learning, the Director-General enjoined participants to involve industry practitioners in the teaching and learning process to enable students acquire practical skills.
Prof. Boakye-Yiadom admitted that the government alone could not channel funds for resource mobilization training and, therefore, school heads should learn innovative methods on how to raise resources to support their activities.
“We are intentionally encouraging and supporting them with the capacity to lead fundraising activities for their school to aid in teaching and learning,” he added.
Some of the participants in the workshop
He urged participants to take advantage of the networking opportunities available and expressed the Institute’s commitment to engaging more heads and teachers in the region to advance education.
The Deputy Central Regional Director of Education, Madam Harriet Oduraa Idun Sagoe, stressed the need for effective leadership in teaching and learning and admitted that a lot of heads of schools were appointed without practical leadership training.
“In Ghana, a lot of us focus on money when we are getting positions. So, if the person is made to understand that whatever they have to offer is prominent, it is going to solve a lot of issues in our schools,” she added.
Madam Sagoe lauded IEPA for the training and appealed to them to expand its reach to cover other parts of the region, while urging participants to apply the knowledge acquired in their respective schools.
A beneficiary of the training, the Headteacher of the Ankaful M/A Basic School, Mr. Eric Asante, said the training had taught them more effective ways to deal with indiscipline among students, as misbehaviour had become a scourge.
Another beneficiary, Madam Philomena Charlotte Forson, called for periodic organisation of such workshops to sharpen the skills of participants and added that the school curriculum as well as students’ behaviour were changing consistently, and therefore periodic training had become imperative.
The facilitators included Rev Father Raymond C Tangonyere and Prof. Bro. Michael Amakye, both from IEPA.
Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC