EDUSPOTS AT TAKUVE BASIC SCHOOL IN THE VOLTA REGION OF GHANA.
BACKGROUND
Takuve is a small and sparsely populated community located in the Agortime-Ziope district of the Volta Region. The Takuve community has a small population with most of its members being farmers, traders and craftsmen.
The community has one public school, Takuve D/A Basic school serving about eight (8) neighbouring communities. Since 2016, Teach for Ghana (TFG) has partnered with the school and similar schools in the Volta Region to help bridge academic gaps and ensure inclusive education by training and posting passionate and change driven graduates to serve in such less-endowed communities.
DETAILS OF THE PROJECT
Joshua Andrews-Egyir, a young global changemaker, led a team including Mariam Abdul Rahman and Vida Agyeman Konadu to work diligently with the community on a number of sustainable community interventions as part of their capstone Project with Teach For Ghana. One key initiative was to renovate the library and to revamp the reading culture among students. In November 2019, the school team led a book drive to request book gifts to restock their library and to facilitate learning.
As impact-driven fellows, they have pioneered an exciting afterschool reading session for all students. Activities include learning board games, exciting icebreakers, vocabulary building, storytelling, pictionary, phonics skills etc
A letter exchange program with Yo! Ghana, facilitated by the Fellows from Teach For Ghana has also broadened their horizons as they write and receive letters from their peers in the United States. This has increased the average literacy level in the school, boosting overall student confidence and knowledge of other countries. The project has indeed inspired leadership and a collective responsibility amongst students as they show responsibility and ownership of the book project.
In addition, the ‘spot’ at Takuve has become a hub of learning and skills training for teenage mothers in the community. Some teenage mothers are enrolled in the school and supported to write the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE). They are mentored and trained in vocational skills to earn sustainable income through the Impacting Teen Mothers (ITeMs) Initiative. Ultimately, they become ambassadors to their various communities championing the cause to curb teenage pregnancy prevalence rate in the Volta Region, which topped the national list in 2018.
The library project was implemented with great support from Motive8 Global, Book Aid
International, Eduspots, Friends of Takuve Diaries and the Takuve community. EduSpots has been instrumental in our book drive as they donated books to the project in November 2019. A partnership between the school community and Eduspots has been agreed with hopes to continue the impact and widen the reach to other communities. A library committee has also been set up to consolidate the gains and facilitate activities.
On the 19th December 2019, the library was commissioned. Currently, the learning center is stocked with about 2000 modern books and educational games and arguably claims the “enviable position” as the most modern public school library in the Agortime-Ziope District.
IMPACT
The new school term after commissioning the library, has seen a lot of motivated students troop into the library to read, explore and research. Unlike before, students are now making conscious efforts to explore the world, read wide, learn new words and build on their vocabulary. This transformation has been facilitated by the presence of chairs in the library, captivating design and painting, proper arrangement and allocation of books and the child friendly state of the library. Activities of the school’s reading club have been enhanced through massive and active participation from students. As a result, there has been an observed gradual and impressive boost in communication.
There has been a massive structural development and attitudinal transformation towards learning. Students, teachers and beneficiary communities owe their gratitude and smiles to the effortful support from all, with special mention to Eduspots.
Takuve School Project Team
Joshua Andrews-Egyir
Mariam Abdul-Rahman
Vida Konadu Agyeman
