Education

Ghana must invest more in early childhood education – Dr. Apaak

The Crystal Clear LENS 3 days ago 3 min read

Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abas Apaak, has called for a major change in how the country approaches education. He says foundational learning must begin before children enter primary school.

Dr. Apaak believes early childhood education must become a central part of Ghana’s strategy to improve learning outcomes. He said Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) should not be treated as a separate part of the education system.

“Early Childhood Care and Education, ECCE, is not an optional part of school education. It is the foundation of school education. If we want to fix foundational learning, we must see it as beginning at the start of life and build one seamless strategy from birth through the early grades.”

The Deputy Education Minister made the remarks while speaking about Ghana’s approach to early childhood education and foundational learning. He said a child’s education does not begin on the first day of primary school.

“A child’s first day of school is not the first day of her learning,” he said.

According to Dr. Apaak, children develop important skills long before they enter Primary 1. These include language, memory, emotional regulation and social interaction.

He said these early skills are critical to a child’s ability to learn reading, writing and mathematics later in school.

“By the time a child sits down in Primary 1, her brain has already been through the most rapid transformation of her entire life. If we start paying attention only then, we are not building a foundation. We are trying to build the roof of a house on ground that was never levelled.”

Dr. Apaak said Ghana’s case for increased investment in early childhood education is based on three key areas: science, economics and equity. On the scientific basis for early learning, he said the early years are critical to a child’s development.

“These are not “soft skills”. They are the building blocks of reading, writing and mathematics,” he said.

The Deputy Minister also said investment in early childhood education makes economic sense.

He argued that governments and development partners can reduce the cost of remedial education by giving children a strong foundation before they enter primary school.

“When we fund primary literacy and numeracy without funding pre-primary readiness, we pay twice: once to teach, and again to repair.”

Dr. Apaak also described early childhood education as an important tool for promoting equity.

He said quality early learning can help reduce the impact of family background on a child’s educational opportunities.

“ECCE is the greatest equalizer we have. It levels the playing field before children reach primary school, so that family background does not dictate educational destiny.”

The Deputy Minister said Ghana has already taken steps to strengthen early childhood education.

He said the country provides two years of free and compulsory kindergarten for children aged four and five. He also said Ghana’s early childhood curriculum is inclusive, standards-based and play-based.

Dr. Apaak stressed that improving early childhood education requires the involvement of parents, communities, teachers and school leaders.

He said these groups must work together to ensure children make a smooth transition from kindergarten to primary school. “Kindergarten is not an add-on in our system.”

He urged policymakers and development partners to stop viewing early childhood education, kindergarten and primary education as separate stages. Instead, he said they should be treated as parts of one continuous learning journey.

“When we look at a child, we must see one continuous story. It starts in the arms of a parent. It grows in the early childhood center. It develops in kindergarten. It blooms in primary school and beyond.”