GES to roll out Professional Learning Community sessions nationwide

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has initiated plans for a national rollout of Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions across all Senior High Schools (SHSs) and Senior High Technical Schools (SHTSs) in Ghana.

This is aimed at strengthening teachers’ understanding and adherence to the National Teachers’ Standards (NTS) and prepare them for the introduction of the new secondary education curriculum which will be rolled-out in the 2024/25 academic year.

Weekly PLC sessions have been piloted by GES since 2022 in 12 SHS and SHTS using structured Handbooks developed in partnership with the National Teaching Council (NTC). In a recent evaluation, it was found that these weekly sessions have had a significant impact on improving teaching and learning in these 12 schools, providing a strong evidence base for the national scale-up of this approach.

To ensure the smooth institutionalisation and rollout of the PLC sessions across all 726 schools, GES organised a five-day training session for a 100-member National Training Team comprising representatives from GES, T-TEL, Senior High Schools, and Colleges of Education.

The training, which took place in May 2023, focused on equipping the National Training Team with the necessary skills and resources to support teachers and officers across regional and district education directorates to effectively implement PLCs in SHSs and SHTSs.

The sessions demonstrated how teachers can be supported and equipped with interactive and innovative approaches to make teaching and learning more engaging for students.

With a strong focus on leveraging technology and promoting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI), the training also highlighted the importance of socio-emotional learning in the classroom. All approaches used in the training were drawn from the National Teacher’s Standards (NTS), which sets out the values and attitudes, knowledge and practices expected of all professional teachers in Ghana.

During the training for the National Team, Ms. Faustina Graham, from the Schools and Instructions Unit at GES, emphasised the importance of the training, stating, “We believe that the national rollout of PLC will enhance the quality of education in Ghana. We are committed to ensuring that all teachers have access to the resources and support they need to provide high-quality education in our schools.”

Ms. Beryl Opong-Agyei, the National Secondary Education Coordinator at Transforming Teaching, Education and Learning (T-TEL), who is supporting GES with the national roll-out, expressed her appreciation to all participants for their interest in the roll-out of PLCs in senior high schools. She further highlighted the importance of PLCs in improving the professional competence of teachers. “You are the people to train and support the teachers to adopt best practices to improve the quality of their teaching,” she said.

The training was led by GES with support from Professor Jonathan Fletcher, Key Advisor for Teaching and Learning Partnerships at T-TEL.