The Parental Learning for Uninterrupted Schooling (PLUS) Project starts in 2021 and will be implemented over a period of 3 years. The project, also known as ‘PLUS Ghana’ is being implemented with support from the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) and in collaboration with local communities and government education stakeholders.

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The project targets the hard-to-reach communities in the districts of Kumbungu and Nanton in the Northern Region of Ghana. These areas have the lowest levels of primary school completion, and about 70% of the population 12 years and older have no formal education. Parent-teacher collaboration in pupil learning has been limited.

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The project, intended to be implemented over a three-year period, will aim to support parental learning and strengthen Parent-Teacher engagement to empower a total of 3,600 parents in communities around 40 schools in the 2 districts. The project will also reach approximately 7,315 learners (4,459 boys and 2,856 girls) in the upper primary and junior secondary school level.

The key outcomes of the project include:

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• Increased capacity of parents in marginalised communities to support and get involved in the learning of their children;

• Higher level of acceptance among school teachers and authorities of parental involvement in the learning activities of their children;

• Increased community awareness and support for parental involvement in the learning of their children; and

• Enhanced communication and collaboration between parents and teachers for parental involvement and support in schooling

 

Some of the key strategies and activities of the project include:

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• Stakeholder engagement and consultations 

Key stakeholders such as education officials (at the districts, regional and national level), teachers, parents and CSOs will be constantly engaged in forums to enhance the effective delivery, local ownership and sustainability of the project ideas. These include: Project design workshop with stakeholders; district stakeholder engagement sessions to promote parental learning, and quarterly reflections and learning sessions with stakeholders, among others.

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• Research to inform practice

Research is a key strategy of the PLUS project. Research is being conducted to inform project strategies and actions throughout the project life-span. Needs assessment surveys and impact assessments are conducted to establish the need and develop appropriate and context-based actions to support and promote parental involvement in pupils learning.

 

• Capacity Building

Parents and Teachers across 40 rural communities in the two participating districts are targeted for a series of training sessions and backstopping to enhance capacities for effective and continuous parental support and involvement in children learning. The capacity building training utilises the principles of andragogy and heutagogy.

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• Facilitation of Learning Communities

The project facilitates the platforms and the formation of learning groups among parents and teachers.  Community volunteers are engaged to provide support to the learning groups and families who are non-literates. Platforms are also created to enhance communication and collaboration between teachers and parents for effective parental involvement in student learning.

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• Resource Material Development

Resource materials are developed to support the capacity building programmes. Tailor-made curriculum, methodologies and resources will be developed and periodically reviewed to offer step-by-step guide to the training and other capacity support such as mentoring and coaching to the project participants.

These key strategies and activities are subject to periodic review by COL management and School for Life based on learnings from project implementation