The Ghana Education Service (GES) is scaling up the GES-Lively Minds kindergarten programme to all 16 regions of the country. The programme will target every public kindergarten school nationwide.
This follows the programme’s success in 64 districts across eight regions in northern Ghana. It has helped increase school enrolment, improve retention, and support children’s cognitive, emotional, and physical development.
International partners, including USAID, UNICEF, the Global Innovation Fund, Grand Challenges Canada, the French Innovation Fund, and ELMA Philanthropies, support the programme. It is implemented with technical support from Lively Minds, a UK-based NGO that specialises in early childhood development.
So far, the programme has reached over 3,500 schools and impacted more than 290,000 children. It uses play-based learning and parental involvement to strengthen education at both school and home levels.
The programme has three main components. First, trained mothers run Play Schemes. Second, parenting courses are held monthly. Third, kindergarten teachers support both the play sessions and parent training.
Mothers are trained to guide children in educational games, storytelling, and physical play. Teachers manage these sessions and lead workshops to improve home care and nutrition.
GES officials recently visited beneficiary communities in the Upper East Region. The visit confirmed the programme’s positive effects on enrolment and learning. GES states that it will roll out the model nationwide, with continued technical support from Lively Minds.
Countries such as Ethiopia, Burundi, Uganda, and The Gambia are now studying Ghana’s model as an example for early childhood education reform.
A national study showed that only 13 per cent of Ghanaian parents engage in early learning play with their children. The GES-Lively Minds programme aims to bridge this gap by directly involving parents in learning activities.
At Azudoone Primary School in the Kassena-Nankana West District, enrolment and academic performance have improved significantly. Teachers say that children who participate in the Play Schemes are more likely to stay in school and perform well.
Parents also report benefits. They say the programme has helped revive traditional games and taught them time management, nutrition, and better parenting skills.
The programme was piloted between 2017 and 2019. It was tested through a Randomised Controlled Trial conducted by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (UK) and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA Ghana). Results showed that children in the programme made learning gains equal to an extra year of schooling.
The Ministry of Education adopted the programme in 2019 for use across eight regions. In 2021, GES and Lively Minds signed a partnership to begin national scale-up.
GES says the programme is cost-effective and sustainable. It is fully integrated into the national education system using existing teachers, district officers, and regional education directors.
Current districts in the Upper East Region benefiting from the programme include Builsa North and South, Kassena-Nankana West, Talensi, Bolgatanga East, Bawku West, Binduri, Garu, and Tempane.
