A Tamale-based non-governmental organisation, Regional Advisory Information and Network Systems (RAINS), has convened an education stakeholders meeting to promote participatory learning methodologies in basic schools across the Northern Region.
Held under the theme “Classrooms to Gardens: Advancing Basic Education through Participatory Pedagogies,” the meeting brought together key education sector actors to strengthen collaboration around learner-centered and inclusive teaching approaches.
The engagement formed part of RAINS’ broader efforts to improve learning outcomes through participatory methods.
RAINS is currently implementing its School Pedagogy Project (SPP) in 12 basic schools in the Savelugu Municipality, where it has recorded improvements in attendance, retention, academic performance, and learner nutrition through the provision of enhanced meals under the School Feeding Programme.
Building on these gains, RAINS—working with partner NGOs including NORSAAC, with support from AXIS and funding from CISU/DANIDA—is scaling up the initiative to six Colleges of Education to strengthen teacher training and ensure long-term integration of participatory teaching methods from pre-service education to classroom practice.
In an address, Dr Mohammed Bello Zuberu, Academic Advisor at the Faculty of Education at the University for Development Studies (UDS), urged a shift from teacher-centred instruction to learner-focused education.
The Executive Director of RAINS, Mr. Hardi Tijani, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to inclusive, child-centred education, describing participatory learning as “the heartbeat of effective teaching and learning.”
He called on education authorities and development partners to scale up participatory pedagogies nationwide to enhance the quality of basic education.