On Thursday, February 09, 2023, Accra College of Education led by its Principal, Prof. Samuel Atintono and its partners from Sabre Education commissioned a brand-new Resource Centre at Accra College of Education. The centre provides a fantastic space where the next generation of teachers can learn to create innovative and engaging resources for play-based learning.
The establishment of the resource centre forms part of a collaboration between Accra College of Education and Sabre Education. The collaboration is aimed at enhancing training in early-grade education for student teachers at Accra College of Education. The College is also expected to collaborate with Sabre and the Ghana Education Service to train mentors of identified partner schools in play-based learning, positive behaviour management and best Kindergarten practices to support student teachers during Supported Teaching in Schools (STS).
In an exclusive interaction with the News Desk of the Teacher Education Journal, the Principal of Accra College of Education, Prof. Samuel Atintono commended Sabre Education for the collaboration to support teachers in early-grade education. He pledged to give the needed support to ensure that the resource centre is put to its full effective use for student teachers, mentors and all relevant partners that will require the use of the centre.
With its vision of helping all children succeed, by giving them the best possible early education, Sabre education is a partnership between two linked education charities, registered in the UK with the Charity Commission and in Ghana with the Department of Social Welfare. They currently work directly in southern Ghana to improve the futures of poor and marginalised children. As part of their strategic goals, they aim to scale up their work nationwide in Ghana and beyond.
Sabre Education through its 12 years of grassroots work in rural schools and a long-term relationship with the Ghana Education Service identified the kindergarten sector as its priority intervention area. Kindergarten represents the start of formal education for 4 and 5-year-old children, and the sector faces a number of challenges including poor learning environments and weak teacher capacity. Sabre Education’s Brighter Futures Programme provides an innovative and carefully considered response to these challenges, delivered through Building Playful Schools, and providing Transformational Teacher Training.
The commissioning of the resource centre was well attended by a number of dignitaries including the Chief Executive Officer of Sabre Education, Susan Place-Everhart, Sabre Executive Director, Mr Tony Dogbe, Ms Vida Barbara Ntow, Director of Early Childhood Education at Ghana Education Service, Professor Samuel Atintono, Principal of Accra College of Education, and Mr Ebenezer Aidoo, Head of the Department Early Childhood Education, among others.
