A Lesson in the Taxi: Rethinking Holistic Education in Ghana On my way home recently, I sat beside a Senior High School student in uniform. He was enjoying his Fan Yogurt ice cream and some bofrot, while I was quietly reading. Moments later, he finished, wrapped the polythene around the packaging, and threw it out of the window. I was honestly stunned. I couldn’t hold back, so I confronted him. He tried to justify himself: “But there’s already rubbish there.” That response hit me hard. I asked him: 🗣️ What kind of education are you receiving if you can’t be an agent of change? 🗣️ If you — an educated individual — can’t educate others by example, where are we going as a country? 🗣️ Wouldn’t you like to see a clean Ghana, where the slightest rain doesn’t cause flooding? The incident left me reflecting deeply. 💭 We spend millions of dollars each year providing free education, an incredible opportunity for every Ghanaian child. But are we focusing enough on holistic education, one that goes beyond passing exams to shaping responsible, socially conscious citizens? Education should not only teach Math, Science, and English, but also values like: • Environmental consciousness 🌱 • Civic responsibility 🇬🇭 • Empathy and community service ❤️ Because what good is a free education if it doesn’t translate into a better society? I’d love to hear your thoughts: 👉 How can we make holistic education a more intentional part of Ghana’s free SHS program? 👉 What practical steps can schools, teachers, and policymakers take to instill civic values early? #Education #Ghana #HolisticEducation #CivicResponsibility #FreeSHS #EnvironmentalAwareness #Leadership #YouthDevelopment #ChangeMakers

🇬🇭 The future of every Ghanaian child is mapped out here. Let’s talk about the Ghana Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2018-2030. This isn't just a big government paper; it's the national blueprint for how we fix, fund, and improve our entire education system. I spent time diving into it and the plan boils down to three core, simple goals: 🎯 Goal 1: Access for ALL. Making sure every child, no matter where they live or their background, gets into school from nursery to tertiary. It’s all about fairness (equity). 🎯 Goal 2: Quality First. Focusing on what really matters: better reading, better math, and stronger science/tech (STEM) skills. We need good teachers, good books, and a relevant curriculum. 🎯 Goal 3: Smarter Management. Ensuring the system runs efficiently. This means better planning, smarter spending, and holding school leaders and staff accountable. The big focus is clear: Quality education for all, with a strong push for STEM. This plan gives us the roadmap. Now, the real work is in the follow-through, making sure these goals actually translate into better outcomes in the classroom. What one thing from the plan do you think will have the biggest impact on our schools? Share your thoughts below! 👇 #GhanaEducation #EducationPolicy #SDG4 #FutureofLearning

Policy Lessons from My National Service Year (1/4): Bridging the Teacher Gap in Rural Private Schools Following my reflections on True Independence, I begin this October series by sharing a lesson from my national service in the peaceful Kingdom of Agbere, Bayelsa State. There was a term when I handled as many as six subjects in a small private secondary school. It was not out of choice but necessity; there simply were not enough teachers. Interestingly, the public schools faced a similar challenge. I remember a day when my colleagues and I went for a CDS activity in a secondary school (name withheld) and found only one teacher invigilating tests in three classrooms at the same time. That moment made it clear that the teacher shortage in rural communities cuts across both public and private schools. Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act of 2004 guarantees access to quality education for all. Yet, in practice, many rural schools (public or private) remain underserved. Private schools are rarely supervised or supported, while public ones still struggle with uneven teacher deployment, poor retention, and irregular supervision, giving rise to a high rate of unreported teacher absenteeism. This is more than a question of teacher supply or demand; it is a question of equity. If education is truly the key to national development, then access to competent teachers should not depend on whether a school is public or private, urban or rural. As we continue to reflect on our nation’s development in light of her 65th Independence Day Anniversary, one question lingers for me: How can Nigeria’s education policy better support rural schools (both public and private) that serve low-income communities? #EducationPolicy #RuralDevelopment #PublicPolicy #NigeriaEducation #NYSC #SDG4 #UNAI3

What does it mean to be a different kind of teacher? In fragile education systems, progress is often measured in numbers: More schools, more teachers, more students. But what if the real change we need is not more, but different? In Guinea-Bissau, Oceano Sanha Tchongo, director of the Teacher Training College DNS Bachil, argues that the future of education depends on the kind of teacher who stands in front of a class. At his college, teachers are trained not just to teach, but to lead: to become agents of development, equality and community well-being. One graduate, Fatuma Candé, transformed her classroom and her community: 🎵 Starting lessons with music and play to engage children, 🌱 Launching a women’s literacy group and vegetable garden to improve nutrition and income, 📚 Turning her school into a centre for learning and change. Across the Humana People to People network, similar initiatives are taking root in Mozambique and Malawi, preparing teachers who can adapt to crises, innovate, and strengthen communities. No education system can rise above the quality of its teachers, and no student can thrive without someone who believes in them. ➡️ Explore more in the #WorldEducationBlog by Oceano Sanha Tchongo, director of a teacher training college in Guinea Bissau: https://bit.ly/3Wp2quB #WorldTeachersDay #Teachers #LeadforLearning #SDG4

Nigeria’s education system is crippled by a crisis of value, where teachers are underpaid, underappreciated, and overworked, says human resources and change management expert Yomi Fawehinmi. https://lnkd.in/dNaTh6YT

Policy Lessons from My Service Year (1/4): Bridging the Teacher Gap in Rural Schools Following my reflections on True Independence, I begin this October series by sharing a lesson from my national service in the peaceful Kingdom of Agbere, Bayelsa State. There was a term when I handled as many as six subjects in a small private secondary school. It was not out of choice but necessity; there simply were not enough teachers. Interestingly, the public schools faced a similar challenge. I remember a day when my colleagues and I went for a CDS activity in a secondary school (name withheld) and found only one teacher invigilating tests in three classrooms at the same time. That moment made it clear that the teacher shortage in rural communities cuts across both public and private schools. Nigeria’s Universal Basic Education (UBE) Act of 2004 guarantees access to quality education for all. Yet, in practice, many rural schools (whether public or private) remain underserved. Private schools are rarely supervised or supported, while public ones still struggle with uneven teacher deployment, poor retention, and irregular supervision, giving rise to a high rate of unreported teacher absenteeism. This is more than a question of teacher supply; it is a question of equity. If education is truly the key to national development, then access to competent teachers should not depend on whether a school is public or private, urban or rural. As we continue to reflect on our nation’s development, one question lingers for me: How can Nigeria’s education policy better support rural schools (both public and private) that serve low-income communities? #EducationPolicy #RuralDevelopment #PublicPolicy #NigeriaEducation #NYSC #SDG4 #UNAI3

## A CALL FOR CONCRETE ACTION IN GHANA’S INCLUSIVE EDUCATION MOVEMENT ## This article explores the concept of inclusive education, highlighting its importance for equitable learning opportunities. It examines the main policies of inclusive education in Ghana, the impact they have had on the country's educational system while also exploring their broader socioeconomic implications. In addition, the article examines the key challenges faced in the implementation of inclusive education in Ghana and concludes by offering recommendations for improvement aiming to inform educators, policymakers, and stakeholders about the strategies to promote accessible and equitable education for all students in Ghana.

🎉 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗗𝗮𝘆! Nigeria faces a teacher crisis — over 20 million out-of-school children and a shortage of 280,000+ teachers. While recent calls to eliminate “unqualified” teachers and compel schools to hire only certified ones (or risk losing WAEC accreditation) sound bold, we must be realistic: 👉🏽 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 — 𝘄𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝘁. During my time at the Salzburg Global Center for Education Transformation, we Fellows explored the global teacher shortage and the power of teachers’ voices. The lesson was clear: reimagine teacher pathways, don’t close them. That’s why I am calling on the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa and Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) Registrar, Ronke Soyombo, to consider three urgent actions: 1️⃣ 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆 from 2 to 5 years, in clear phases. 2️⃣ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 through NELFUND & NTEF (loans, grants, scholarships). 3️⃣ 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 beyond the National Teachers’ Institute (NTI) — empower accredited institutions nationwide to run the proposed accelerated teacher education programs. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 “𝘂𝗻𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱” 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 — 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. At SEED Care & Support Foundation, we see this every day — including the inspiring story of Odunayo Oluchi Adams, whose journey from learner to certified educator proves that when given the chance, teachers rise. (Story link in the comments 👇🏽) Let’s move from applause to action. Let’s value, empower, and equip our teachers — because when teachers thrive, children do too. #WorldTeachersDay #EducationReform #NigeriaEducation #TeachersMatter #PolicyChange #TRCN #SalzburgGlobal

Behind every confident child is a teacher who believes in them.🌱 This World Teachers’ Day, we honour Ghana’s kindergarten teachers. They are champions of education who turn classrooms into places of play, confidence, curiosity and knowledge. This year’s theme, “recasting teaching as a collaborative profession,” reflects what happens in Ghanaian classrooms every day: teachers learning from one another, and headteachers guiding and supporting with care. In this video, teachers from La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipal share how play-based learning has transformed both their practice and their classrooms. Happy World Teachers’ Day to all the inspiring educators who are shaping brighter futures for Ghana’s children.🌟 #WorldTeachersDay #PlayBasedLearning #EarlyChildhoodEducation #SabreEducation

FG, EU Launch Committee for €40m Education, Youth Empowerment Project The Federal Government of Nigeria, in partnership with the European Union (EU), has inaugurated a National Programme Steering Committee (NPSC) to oversee the €40 million Education and Youth Empowerment in Northwest Nigeria (EYEPINN) project. The programme, being implemented in Jigawa, Kano, and Sokoto States, seeks to reduce the number of out-of-school children, enhance teacher development, and promote youth skills acquisition in the Northwest region. The committee is chaired by the Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, and co-chaired by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu. It will meet annually to provide strategic direction, while the EU Technical Assistance Team (EU-TAT) will serve as its secretariat. Quarterly technical meetings are also planned to ensure close monitoring and accountability. READ MORE 👉 https://lnkd.in/d9MsRTJD #Eu #education #youthempowerment