The Mfantseman Municipal Education Directorate on Friday organized a leadership training workshop for School Improvement Support Officers (SISOs), headteachers, and assistant headteachers in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region.
The workshop, themed “Gathering Evidence and Using Value-Added Data (VAD) to Improve Performance in Schools: Skills for the 21st Century School Leaders,” brought together 22 education directorate staff, 87 headteachers, and 96 assistant headteachers drawn from 128 basic schools, comprising 89 public schools and 39 private schools.
Facilitated by Dr. Joseph Cobbinah, a renowned educational leadership and school improvement expert, the workshop aimed to equip participants with effective leadership skills.
The event was partly funded by the Kobbah Acquah Foundation (KoAF) and the Anomabo chapter of the Boys and Girls Club of Ghana.
Dr. Cobbinah emphasized the importance of heads leading by example, encouraging them to arrive at school early to set a positive tone for their teachers. He also stressed the need for teachers to take ownership of their schools, addressing problems proactively and avoiding complaints.
Moreover, the senior lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Department of Educational Studies and Leadership highlighted the value of active listening, urging heads to “as leaders, have listening ears” and foster a collaborative environment.
Furthermore, he charged the headteachers to regularly visit classrooms to monitor teaching activities during class hours and reminded them that honesty is essential in building trust with their teachers.
The workshop emphasized the critical role of leadership in shaping school culture, improving academic performance, and enhancing student outcomes.
Speaking to newsalertgh.com in an interview, Ms. Edwina Gladys Thompson Donkoh, Deputy Municipal Director of Education in charge of supervision, emphasized the significance of the workshop in refreshing the leadership skills of participants.
She assured that “the directorate under the leadership of Mr. Ransford Appiah would not treat this as a one-time event,” but rather, “as an ongoing process to enhance the leadership capacity of our heads and SISOs in the municipality.”
She then encouraged the participants to apply the knowledge and skills gained to improve education in the municipality.
By: Kojo Ata Kakrah Abrowah (KAKA) – anthonyabrowah@gmail.com/newsalertgh.com
