Kwame Akyeampong
University of Sussex, Education, Faculty Member
- Kwame Akyeampong is Professor of International Education and Development at the Centre for International Education, U... moreKwame Akyeampong is Professor of International Education and Development at the Centre for International Education, University of Sussex, UK. Kwame began his academic career in Ghana at the University of Cape Coast.He has served as an international consultant on many education reforms and innovations in Africa and published widely in international journals on education and development.edit
1 Chapter 1: Basic Education in Ghana: An Overview 2 1.
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This report provides a synthesis of the key findings of research into the impact of the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme on boys and girls learning and transitions into public schools in communities in Northern Ghana. The... more
This report provides a synthesis of the key findings of research into the impact of the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme on boys and girls learning and transitions into public schools in communities in Northern Ghana. The research aimed to provide evidence on the learning outcomes and progress for out of school children who participated in the programme, as well as the extent to which it prepared its graduates for successful transition into public school. In addressing these issues, the research was driven by two key questions: What are the educational trajectories of CBE learners during their 9 months in CBE centres and when they transition to public schools? How do they differ by gender? How, and to what extent, do the learning experiences of CBE graduates equip them for transitioning successfully into public schools and how far do these experiences differ by gender?
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This report provides an assessment on whether English language support to children who were engaged in the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme in 2015-16 managed to retain their language skills two years after making the... more
This report provides an assessment on whether English language support to children who were engaged in the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme in 2015-16 managed to retain their language skills two years after making the transition into public schools. The English language programme, known as the Bridge to English (BTE), was piloted during July-August 2016, after children completed a cycle of the CBE programme. The Bridge to English component of the CBE programme was experimentally designed to capture short and medium terms impact of the additional language support. For this reason, a total of 750 children from 30 CBE centers were randomly assigned either to the Bridge to English pilot programme (375 children from 15 CBE centers) or as control group (375 children for the other 15 CBE centers).
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This article assesses the extent to which children’s language preference and their home environment matter for literacy retention. Using data from the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) program in Ghana, the authors found that large... more
This article assesses the extent to which children’s language preference and their home environment matter for literacy retention. Using data from the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) program in Ghana, the authors found that large numbers of disadvantaged students reverted to not even being able to read a single word following school closures over a four-month holiday period. Widening literacy gaps were found for girls who reported they did not receive instruction in a language that they understood or did not have the resources, support, or activities at home to enable them to continue to learn while schools were closed. For boys, widening literacy gaps were only influenced by resources, support, or activities at home, but not by language preferences. The article findings suggest that schools and teachers must pay closer attention to language preference, particularly for girls, in order to ensure that language of instruction is not a barrier to literacy retention. The article als...
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The goal of providing equitable quality education for every child will only be achieved if all children have access to a quality teacher. A shortage of effective teachers disproportionately affects children from poor and marginalized... more
The goal of providing equitable quality education for every child will only be achieved if all children have access to a quality teacher. A shortage of effective teachers disproportionately affects children from poor and marginalized backgrounds. This study investigates the qualities, mindsets and behaviours of effective teachers who work with disadvantaged children using the Varkey Teacher Ambassador community. Our hope is that the findings from this study will inform policy makers across the globe and lead to improved policies to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers to serve the most disadvantaged students.
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This chapter draws from existing literature, analysis of school policy texts and codes of discipline, to examine the context and history of school social control in sub-Saharan Africa using some evidence from Ghana. It highlights how... more
This chapter draws from existing literature, analysis of school policy texts and codes of discipline, to examine the context and history of school social control in sub-Saharan Africa using some evidence from Ghana. It highlights how school hierarchies, institutional surveillance mechanisms, and the code of discipline produce school social control in the sub-Saharan Africa context. It discusses school hierarchical organization as a mechanism for control based on a case study in Ghana. The discussion examines how teachers’ own schooling and training experiences make them agents of school social control and how corporal punishment plays a key role concluding with the role that foreign languages play in controlling access to further education and future social and economic opportunities.
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Northern Ghana presents an interesting case of the limitations of the conventional school system in reaching underserved and deprived populations with basic education. Due to the peculiar nature of its demographic characteristics and the... more
Northern Ghana presents an interesting case of the limitations of the conventional school system in reaching underserved and deprived populations with basic education. Due to the peculiar nature of its demographic characteristics and the socio-economic challenges that confront this area of Ghana, conventional school systems are unable to thrive and make an impact in remote areas. Many of these communities are sparsely populated and scattered making distance a hindrance to school. attendance. A major barrier to access and participation is also the cost. In poor deprived communities whether or not children attend school usually depends on the direct or indirect costs to families. Direct costs arises from schooling accessories such as uniforms, books and writing materials whilst the indirect costs are largely in the form of income lost from the child’s potential employment or contribution to household income through direct labor. Yet another obstacle is the official school calendar whi...
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Page 237. CHAPTER ELEVEN EXTENDING BASIC EDUCATION TO OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NORTHERN GHANA What can multigrade schooling teach us? ALBERT KWAME AKYEAMPONG INTRODUCTION This ...
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... July 2011 Lead Researcher and authors: • Professor Eustella Bhalalusesa bhalalusesa@edu. udsm.ac.tz • Jo Westbrook • Kattie Lussier Researchers: • Dr Rebecca Sima • Dr Martha Qorro • Dr Joviter Katabaro • Ms Magreth Matonya • Mr Jonas... more
... July 2011 Lead Researcher and authors: • Professor Eustella Bhalalusesa bhalalusesa@edu. udsm.ac.tz • Jo Westbrook • Kattie Lussier Researchers: • Dr Rebecca Sima • Dr Martha Qorro • Dr Joviter Katabaro • Ms Magreth Matonya • Mr Jonas Tiboroha • Mr Ibrahim Nzima ...
Research Interests: Mathematics and Medicine
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... Kanu (199631. Kanu, Y. 1996. ... Report No. 15570GH View all references). Textbooks and stationery became scarce, the state of buildings, furniture and equipment declined and the data or statistics needed for planning were no longer... more
... Kanu (199631. Kanu, Y. 1996. ... Report No. 15570GH View all references). Textbooks and stationery became scarce, the state of buildings, furniture and equipment declined and the data or statistics needed for planning were no longer collected (Yeboah, 199059. ...
Research Interests: Perception, Teaching and Learning, Education, Assessment, Constructivism, and 13 moreProfessional Development, Social Constructivism, Comparative Education, Teaching, Learning, Model, Teaching Methods, Empirical Study, Professional Practice, Secondary School, Interaction model, Routledge, and Training Primary
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The Consortium for Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE) is a Research Programme Consortium supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its purpose is to undertake research designed to improve access... more
The Consortium for Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE) is a Research Programme Consortium supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its purpose is to undertake research designed to improve access to basic education in developing ...
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This study examines the link between initial school performance on subsequent learning for marginalised children in the Complementary Basic Education programme in Northern Ghana. Specifically, we focus on whether initial low performance... more
This study examines the link between initial school performance on subsequent learning for marginalised children in the Complementary Basic Education programme in Northern Ghana. Specifically, we focus on whether initial low performance of girls and boys differentially affects learning trajectories. Drawing on longitudinal data, we find a significant association between initial and subsequent low performance as students transit into formal education, even after taking account of other potential factors. Boys are more likely than girls to improve from low attainment as they move into formal school. As such, girls are at particular risk of maintaining low levels of learning, and therefore warrant greater support within both complementary and mainstream schooling contexts.
Research Interests: Education and Educational
Teacher education in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) has been criticized for the lack of attention to learning to teach in real classrooms, which limits the opportunity for pre-service teachers to successfully introduce learner-centered pedagogy... more
Teacher education in sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) has been criticized for the lack of attention to learning to teach in real classrooms, which limits the opportunity for pre-service teachers to successfully introduce learner-centered pedagogy in African primary school classrooms. To address this problem, Ghana has implemented a teacher education reform since 2004 to incorporate practicum. However, the critical role of teacher educators has been overlooked by policymakers, and few studies have qualitatively investigated their practice and vision. The study draws on qualitative data from the Ghana component of the Teacher Preparation in Africa (TPA) research project to explore eight teacher educators’ practice and vision of good teaching of primary mathematics. The study found that teacher educators’ practice and vision of good teaching consist of the use of teaching and learning materials (TLMs) and small group activities following specific steps without understanding the principles of le...
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Age of marriage is a barrier to mother's health care around pregnancy and children health outcomes. We provide evidence on the health benefits of postponing early marriage among young wives (from age 10-14 to age 15-17) on women's... more
Age of marriage is a barrier to mother's health care around pregnancy and children health outcomes. We provide evidence on the health benefits of postponing early marriage among young wives (from age 10-14 to age 15-17) on women's health care and children's health for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Southwest Asia (SWA). We use data for 39 countries from the Demographic and Health Surveys to estimate the effects of postponing early marriage for women's health care and children's health outcomes and immunization using matching techniques. We also assess whether women's health empowerment and health constraints are additional barriers. We found that in SSA, delaying the age of marriage from age 10-14 to age 15-17 and from age 15-17 to age 18 or older leads to an increase in maternal neotetanus vaccinations of 2.4% and 3.2%, respectively; gains in the likelihood of postnatal checks are larger for delayed marriage among the youngest wives (aged 10-14). In SWA, the n...
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Low-fee private schooling represents a point of heated debate in the international policy context of Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. While on the one hand there is an increased push for free and universal access... more
Low-fee private schooling represents a point of heated debate in the international policy context of Education for All and the Millennium Development Goals. While on the one hand there is an increased push for free and universal access with assumed State responsibility, reports on the mushrooming of private schools targeting socially and economically disadvantaged groups in a range of developing countries, particularly across Africa and Asia, have emerged over the last decade. Low-fee private schooling has, thus, become a provocative and illuminating area of research and policy interest on the impacts of privatisation and its different forms in developing countries. This edited volume aims to add to the growing literature on low-fee private schooling by presenting seven studies in five countries (Ghana, India, Kenya, Nigeria and Pakistan), and is bookended by chapters analysing some of the evidence and debates on the topic thus far. The book presents research findings from studies across three levels of analysis that have proven relevant in the study of low-fee private schooling: the household, school and state. Chapters address household schooling choice behaviours regarding low-fee private and competing sectors; the management, operation and relative quality of low-fee private schools; and changes to the regulatory frameworks governing low-fee private schools, and the impact of low-fee private schools on those frameworks. The book does not seek to provide definitive answers since, as an emerging and evolving area of study, this would be premature. Instead, it aims to call attention to the need for further systematic research on low-fee private schooling, and to open up the debate by presenting studies that use a range of methods and, owing to the context specificity of the issue, draw different conclusions. The hope is that these studies may serve as springboards to further research. Finally, the book does not aim to snuff out the political and vociferous debate surrounding low-fee private schooling and private provision more broadly, or to erase the complications that abound in conducting research in this area, but to engage with them. The hope is that as the 2015 target date for Education for All and Millennium Development Goals approaches, this book may help us get closer to answering the question: do low-fee private schools aggravate equity or mitigate disadvantage?
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This paper reports research on the initial teacher training and continuing professional development of teachers in six African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). The focus of the research was on the teaching of... more
This paper reports research on the initial teacher training and continuing professional development of teachers in six African countries (Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Senegal, Tanzania and Uganda). The focus of the research was on the teaching of early reading and mathematics. The curriculum of both these areas was analysed in terms of (i) implementation by providers such as Colleges of Education, and (ii) impact in schools. The study found that there were many and deep gaps in the curriculum taught and consequently in teacher knowledge and skills in these two crucial subject areas. The paper sets out a series of recommendations for addressing this problem including an overall alternative approach to teacher education that emerges from the research findings as a whole.
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... July 2011 Lead Researcher and authors: • Professor Eustella Bhalalusesa bhalalusesa@edu. udsm.ac.tz • Jo Westbrook • Kattie Lussier Researchers: • Dr Rebecca Sima • Dr Martha Qorro • Dr Joviter Katabaro • Ms Magreth Matonya • Mr Jonas... more
... July 2011 Lead Researcher and authors: • Professor Eustella Bhalalusesa bhalalusesa@edu. udsm.ac.tz • Jo Westbrook • Kattie Lussier Researchers: • Dr Rebecca Sima • Dr Martha Qorro • Dr Joviter Katabaro • Ms Magreth Matonya • Mr Jonas Tiboroha • Mr Ibrahim Nzima ...
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Page 237. CHAPTER ELEVEN EXTENDING BASIC EDUCATION TO OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NORTHERN GHANA What can multigrade schooling teach us? ALBERT KWAME AKYEAMPONG INTRODUCTION This ...
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The Consortium for Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE) is a Research Programme Consortium supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its purpose is to undertake research designed to improve access... more
The Consortium for Educational Access, Transitions and Equity (CREATE) is a Research Programme Consortium supported by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Its purpose is to undertake research designed to improve access to basic education in developing ...
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This background paper for the UNESCO GMR team draws on a range of resources to provide a synthesis on drop out. The paper focuses on patterns of participation, age-specific drop out rates, equity in drop out rates, and the link between... more
This background paper for the UNESCO GMR team draws on a range of resources to provide a synthesis on drop out. The paper focuses on patterns of participation, age-specific drop out rates, equity in drop out rates, and the link between over age enrolment and drop out rates. The paper outlines the main causes of drop out and provides two country case studies, Ghana and Tanzania, to highlight the potential strategies that could be used to address drop out. The paper concludes with our main policy messages
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The goal of providing equitable quality education for every child will only be achieved if all children have access to a quality teacher. A shortage of effective teachers disproportionately affects children from poor and marginalized... more
The goal of providing equitable quality education for
every child will only be achieved if all children have
access to a quality teacher. A shortage of effective
teachers disproportionately affects children from poor
and marginalized backgrounds. This study investigates
the qualities, mindsets and behaviours of effective
teachers who work with disadvantaged children using
the Varkey Teacher Ambassador community. Our hope
is that the findings from this study will inform policy
makers across the globe and lead to improved policies
to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers to
serve the most disadvantaged students.
every child will only be achieved if all children have
access to a quality teacher. A shortage of effective
teachers disproportionately affects children from poor
and marginalized backgrounds. This study investigates
the qualities, mindsets and behaviours of effective
teachers who work with disadvantaged children using
the Varkey Teacher Ambassador community. Our hope
is that the findings from this study will inform policy
makers across the globe and lead to improved policies
to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers to
serve the most disadvantaged students.