The Savannah Regional Early Childhood Care Development Committee held its 2023 fourth quarter meeting on Monday 13th May, 2024 at the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council Committee Room.
The meeting was funded by an NGO knwon as Children Believe.
At the meeting, the committee seized the opportunity to build the capacities of stakeholders on family and community engagement guidelines.
In a PowerPoint presentation by Mr John Puokyiene who is the Savannah Regional GES Early Childhood Coordinator, families and community members were advised to collaborate with teachers in the Savannah Region to ensure that children get the necessary care and attention in their educational life.
Mr John Puokyiene outlined some strategies for engaging families and communities in children’s education.
Some of the strategies outlined by Mr Puokyiene include the involvement of families in school programs such as sports and games, career day, cultural activities, speech and prize-giving days among others.
Mr. John Puokyiene also said one of the strategies is to strengthen partnerships and collaboration between schools, families, children and communities as a whole.
He called for continuous collaboration and community participation in events such as PTA meetings among others.
Mr John Puokyiene also encouraged the promotion of cordial relationships between schools, families and communities to support the overall well-being and healthy development of children.
He also admonished schools, families and communities to take advantage of communication channels such as telephone calls, websites, radio stations, SMS, and WhatsApp to access information to support school children.
Mr. John Puokyiene in his presentation also urged schools to maintain their staff strength, especially in KG schools by training volunteer teachers e.g. retired educators, parents, and nurses among others in hard-to-reach areas where there are no professional teachers to assist in classroom work.
Mr John Puokyiene also mentioned homework as one of the strategies in engaging families and communities in child education, saying homework provides opportunities to practice and internalize what is learnt in schools.
He therefore urged schools to develop homework policies that will provide support for families in assisting their children’s homework and that conscious efforts to guide families to support their children’s homework should be established.
Mr John Puokyiene also said parents must be informed periodically about their children’s homework and expectations.
The committee comprises stakeholders drawn from the traditional authority, GES, media, the Ghana Health Service, Hairdressers and Tailors Association, Traders, Private Schools, the Savannah Regional Coordinating Council among others.
