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Quality Improvements in Primary Schools (QUIPS)
Improving Learning Through Partnerships (ILP) Project Component
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Location:
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Ghana |
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Dates:
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1997 to 2004 |
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Funder:
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USAID/Ghana |
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Budget:
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$12.67 million |
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Chief of Party
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Home Office Project Coordinator
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| Objective |
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The objective of the QUIPS/ILP Project is to assist the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education Service with its education reform and improving basic education efforts. The project addresses two major areas: improving the learning environment and effective teaching and supervision at the school and classroom level; and improving educational policies and their implementation. The Government of Ghana's own Educational Reform Program is aimed at improving basic education. Ghana's initiative for creating a system of free, compulsory, universal basic education, referred to as fCUBE, guides the reform and is aimed at ensuring all Ghanaians at least nine years of quality education. The Ghana Primary Education Project, working within the context of fCUBE's goals, offers a mechanism for helping to narrow that gap between central-level policy and the classroom experience of teachers and students.
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| Components |
| The QUIPS/ILP Project focuses on five areas: |
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The effective implementation of relevant curriculum and use of instructional materials at the school level |
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In-service teacher professional development |
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Improving district management, and instructional management and school administration |
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Assistance in helping to improve the school’s physical infrastructure |
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Administration of district grants to enable districts to extend QUIPS Best Practices to non partnership schools and communities |
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Central to the QUIPS/ILP approach to working with schools and communities is the view that all schools and communities have successes and strengths that have sustained them over time. The QUIPS/ILP Project team helps schools and communities to identify, affirm and strengthen those successful practices, and encourages schools to work from their strengths rather than starting from a long list of problems, deficits and under development. This assets approach changes the focus from concentrating on identifying "problems" and "deficiencies" to one of identifying assets, resources, as well as past and current strengths. Focusing on strengths and the potential that they represent promotes self-esteem and belief in the ability to succeed, whereas concentrating on weaknesses diminishes the desire and energy of people in schools and communities to participate in change. The assets approach does not ignore the real problems that exist. It helps people deal with those problems from a more positive, active, and creative position.
The teaching and learning approaches introduced through the project are based on research and successful classroom practice. One clear message coming from experience within and outside Ghana is that the school and community need to establish a close partnership in educating their children. Such a partnership needs to extend beyond the school and community to include a number of other key stakeholders. This larger set of stakeholders includes, in addition to school staff and pupils, the District Assembly, District Director of Education and staff, the School Management Committee, Parent Teacher Association, traditional leaders, religious bodies, and the community as a whole - all working together to achieve a shared vision of what the school can become.
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| Activities |
| In implementing the project, some activities include: |
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School based in-service teacher development which includes the introduction of innovative, low cost processes, tools, instructional materials, and other methods to increase teacher performance and student learning |
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Assisting in curriculum improvements at the school level through the development of material that strengthens the linkages in learning sequence, and through the development of other supplementary instructional support materials |
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District based training programs to improve school and district education management skills and practices |
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Linking experience at the project supported schools to district, regional and national level policy and program reforms |
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Involving schools with their communities with support from district level officials in defining school quality improvement strategies and in helping to carry out these improvements |
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Providing district grants to enable districts to plan and implement their own activities to spread QUIPS best practices throughout the district |
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| Other AED Projects in Ghana |
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NetMark: a regional partnership for sustainable malaria prevention – NetMark Plus, USAID, 1999 to 2007 |
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LINKAGES: Breastfeeding and Related Complementary Feeding and Maternal Nutrition Program, USAID, 1996 to 2006 |
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Basic Support for Institutionalizing Child Survival (BASICS 1 & II), USAID, 1993 to 2004 |
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Behavior Change, Innovation, Sate of the Art Activity (The Change Project), USAID, 1998 to 2004 |
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Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project (FANTA), USAID, 1998 to 2003 |
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Global Communications and Learning Systems (LEARNLINK Project), USAID, 1996 to 2003 |
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Measure Three Project- Dissemination and Utilization of Data, USAID, 1997 to 2003 |
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Micronutrient Support Activity (MOST), USAID, 1998 to 2003 |
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Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA I & II), USAID 1992 to 2003 |
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Health and Human Resources Analysis for Africa (HHRAA), USAID, 1992 to 2003 |
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Sustainable Approaches for Nutrition in Africa (SANA), USAID, 1995 to 2003 |
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Strategies for Advancing Girls’ Education (SAGE Phase II), USAID, 2002 to 2004 |
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