Right To Play Ghana, in partnership with the National Teaching Council (NTC) and other stakeholders, has completed the pilot phase of the Play Accelerator Project. The 18-month project, which started in January 2025 and ended in June 2026, was implemented in selected districts in the Volta, Greater Accra, and Northern regions. The project aimed to transform teaching practices and improve learning outcomes in basic schools by helping teachers understand the standards-based curriculum and deliver instructions through playful strategies.
The project sought to address gaps in the implementation of the standards-based curriculum, which was rolled out in 2019 with learner-centred, participatory, and play-based approaches as key instruction methods. Mr. Kwabena Gao, the Project Lead and Education Specialist for Right To Play Ghana, said the goal was to help teachers make learning more playful, motivating children to go to school and improve their learning gains. The project was designed to help teachers get a better understanding of the Standards-Based Curriculum and strengthen their capacity to deliver instructions.
The Right To Play partnered with the NTC to mount the training on the NTC’s e-learning platform for wider coverage, allowing teachers to access the course both online and offline. 4,455 teachers were enrolled on the programme, with 2,565 successfully completing all two modules and 17 units of the course at the end of the eight-week course implementation. Teachers were expected to study bit by bit every week and discuss their learnings at the Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions instituted by the government.
The system was designed such that a teacher cannot move to the next unit without completing the previous one, to prevent rushing and encourage reflection and practical application. Mr. Gao said data from evaluators showed transformation in the classrooms of teachers who actively participated in the project, while those who did not take part struggled to apply the approaches. He urged District Course Coordinators to follow up with coaching and mentoring support to ensure teachers applied the practices and knowledge acquired in their classrooms.
Teachers who completed the course were awarded Continuous Professional Development (CPD) points and a certificate. Dr. Issahaque Munawaru, Deputy Director, Ghana Education Service, Quality and Access, reiterated the Government’s commitment to supporting quality teaching and learning, as well as partnerships that strengthened teacher professionalism and promoted innovative approaches to teaching and learning. The partnerships among Right To Play, the National Teaching Council, the European Union, and the Ghana Education Service demonstrate the value of collaboration in addressing educational challenges.
Dr. Munawaru urged stakeholders to build on lessons from the implementation and explore mechanisms for strengthening and scaling the blended play-based learning course. Mr. Harrison Akubor, the Head of Office, Right To Play, said the outcome of the pilot session would advance the project’s objectives and generate evidence to inform future programming. The results of the pilot programme demonstrated the importance of collaborative efforts, involving government institutions, education stakeholders, teachers, and other relevant actors.
Right To Play began working in Ghana in 2001 to support children’s health and well-being through vaccination campaigns and address child protection needs. Its programmes currently focus on ensuring children have access to quality play-based education, supporting girls to have access to education and opportunity as boys, and supporting children’s emotional well-being. The project's impact will be monitored, and efforts will be made to sustain and scale it to improve learning outcomes within the education sector.
Key points
- The project was implemented in selected districts in the Volta, Greater Accra, and Northern regions.
- 2,565 teachers successfully completed the course.
- The project aimed to transform teaching practices and improve learning outcomes in basic schools.
