By Juliet Aguiar DUUGBARTEY
Two hundred teachers within the Ahanta West municipality of Western Region have participated in a four-day training on phonics, organised by Yinson Ghana.
The training provided teachers with innovative strategies and practical techniques that enhance teaching practices and, ultimately, improve learning outcomes.
Edward Mensah, Corporate Social Responsibility Coordinator at Yinson Ghana,mentioned at the programme’s opening that “this phonics training is the third edition to be held in the municipality”.
This year, he said, the company registered 200 teachers within 78 schools in Ahanta West municipality, Western Region.
“We believe that education is the cornerstone of a prosperous society. Our commitment to supporting educational initiatives stems from our deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of education,” he added.
He described phonics as a fundamental aspect of early childhood education. “It equips young learners with the essential skills needed to read and write effectively.
By focusing on the relationship between sounds and their corresponding letters, phonics lay the groundwork for literacy and academic success.”
“This training programme aims to empower you, our esteemed teachers, with the knowledge and tools necessary to implement effective phonics instruction in your classrooms,” Mr. Mensah stated.
He commended the Ghana Education Service (GES) for their support and collaboration, saying: “Together, we are making significant strides toward achieving our shared goal of providing quality education for all”.
Julian Fobi, Head-Early Childhood Education, Ahanta West Municipal Education Service, praised Yinson for improving the area’s level of education.
“Going for monitoring, I observed that most teachers at this level lack skill in teaching phonics – and so I planned going for a coordinator at Shama to take us through this subject. Fortunately, I was told that Yinson Ghana has arranged for a training programme on phonics,” she said.
She added: “The training that you have taken these teachers through is excellent; it will go a long way to help these children in pronunciation and reading at the early stage.
“I plead that you will continue every year, since each year we have some of the teachers going on transfer and other coming in.”
Aloysius Boadi, Head of Supervision at GES, expressed appreciation to Yinson Ghana for supporting people’s education in the municipality over the years.
He said the training will enhance teaching in phonics and empower them, as well enrich them with better skills.
Training
Samelia Bawuah, an author and writer with over 60 books to her credit, took nursery and kindergarten teachers through vowel and consonant sounds, pronunciations among others.
Solomon Appiah, a phonics researcher, explained that “reading is putting words together to get an understanding”.
