Assessing School Heads’ Preparedness for Nurturing’ Core Competencies’ in Learners: A Comparison between Ghanaian Basic Public and Private Schools

• In Event: Exploring sub-national disparities in learning outcomes: understanding variation in Ghana's basic education system

Proposal

Since 2017, the government of Ghana has prioritised reforming its educational system, particularly at the Basic level, with the ultimate goal of producing citizens who are literate, confident, and actively involved in their communities and the world. Because of this revolutionary goal, the Ministry of Education (MoE) has implemented a new national curriculum framework that emphasises developing students’ competencies in critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, cultural identity and global citizenship, personal development and leadership, as well as digital literacy (MoE, 2018). As education systems globally recognise the importance of these competencies, understanding the efficacy of school heads in nurturing them becomes paramount. Against this background, this study investigates the preparedness of school heads in Ghanaian basic schools to promote the teaching and learning of the core competencies, focusing on comparing public and private schools. The study adopts a sequential mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods. A sample of 426 public and private basic school heads is chosen using a stratified random sampling technique, ensuring representation across different regions and socioeconomic backgrounds. In-depth interviews and structured questionnaires are employed to gather insights into school heads’ preparedness in this domain. The results show significant discrepancies in the readiness of heads of public and private schools to lead the nurturing of the envisioned core competencies among their learners. Thus, while some heads clearly understand the core competencies, motivate staff, and create a positive and inclusive school culture to foster their teaching and learning, others fall short. Context factors influencing school heads’ preparedness include training opportunities, access to resources, administrative support and community involvement. To foster student mastery of these competencies, community leaders, policymakers, and education authorities need to collaborate to invest in professional development opportunities for school heads, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge, skills, and resources required to champion the teaching and learning of these core competencies. It is also argued that providing equitable access to educational resources and creating supportive school environments can help bridge disparities between public and private schools.

Author

• Christopher Mensah Adosi, IEPA, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST, GHANA