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Papers by Kwame Akyeampong

1 Chapter 1: Basic Education in Ghana: An Overview 2 1.

International Journal of Educational Development, 2019

There is limited comparable and robust research on the effect of children's work on learning for ... more There is limited comparable and robust research on the effect of children's work on learning for developing countries. We use matching techniques relying on rich information from the Third Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study (TERCE) for 15 Latin American countries and a bounding approach to account for unobservables. We find that work leads to 9 (math) and 13 (reading) points less in achievement for sixth grade students, with a significant variation within the learning distribution and between countries. Policies should prioritise low achievers, those in paid employment living in large urban areas, and factors driving work allocations within families.

NISSEM, Nov 5, 2020

John (2020) The Speed School pedagogy and how it unlocks the creative and learning potential of d... more John (2020) The Speed School pedagogy and how it unlocks the creative and learning potential of disadvantaged children in Ethiopia. NISSEM Global Briefs, 2. pp. 34-53.

International Handbook of Teacher Quality and Policy, 2017

Learning, Marginalization, and Improving the Quality of Education in Low-income Countries, 2022

This report provides a synthesis of the key findings of research into the impact of the Complemen... more This report provides a synthesis of the key findings of research into the impact of the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme on boys and girls learning and transitions into public schools in communities in Northern Ghana. The research aimed to provide evidence on the learning outcomes and progress for out of school children who participated in the programme, as well as the extent to which it prepared its graduates for successful transition into public school. In addressing these issues, the research was driven by two key questions: What are the educational trajectories of CBE learners during their 9 months in CBE centres and when they transition to public schools? How do they differ by gender? How, and to what extent, do the learning experiences of CBE graduates equip them for transitioning successfully into public schools and how far do these experiences differ by gender?

This report provides an assessment on whether English language support to children who were engag... more This report provides an assessment on whether English language support to children who were engaged in the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) programme in 2015-16 managed to retain their language skills two years after making the transition into public schools. The English language programme, known as the Bridge to English (BTE), was piloted during July-August 2016, after children completed a cycle of the CBE programme. The Bridge to English component of the CBE programme was experimentally designed to capture short and medium terms impact of the additional language support. For this reason, a total of 750 children from 30 CBE centers were randomly assigned either to the Bridge to English pilot programme (375 children from 15 CBE centers) or as control group (375 children for the other 15 CBE centers).

Journal of international cooperation in education, 2002

PROSPECTS, 2021

This article assesses the extent to which children’s language preference and their home environme... more This article assesses the extent to which children’s language preference and their home environment matter for literacy retention. Using data from the Complementary Basic Education (CBE) program in Ghana, the authors found that large numbers of disadvantaged students reverted to not even being able to read a single word following school closures over a four-month holiday period. Widening literacy gaps were found for girls who reported they did not receive instruction in a language that they understood or did not have the resources, support, or activities at home to enable them to continue to learn while schools were closed. For boys, widening literacy gaps were only influenced by resources, support, or activities at home, but not by language preferences. The article findings suggest that schools and teachers must pay closer attention to language preference, particularly for girls, in order to ensure that language of instruction is not a barrier to literacy retention. The article als...

The goal of providing equitable quality education for every child will only be achieved if all ch... more The goal of providing equitable quality education for every child will only be achieved if all children have access to a quality teacher. A shortage of effective teachers disproportionately affects children from poor and marginalized backgrounds. This study investigates the qualities, mindsets and behaviours of effective teachers who work with disadvantaged children using the Varkey Teacher Ambassador community. Our hope is that the findings from this study will inform policy makers across the globe and lead to improved policies to attract, develop, and retain effective teachers to serve the most disadvantaged students.

International Journal of Educational Development, 2020

This paper presents evidence on literacy trajectories for children in Ghana who enrolled in a Com... more This paper presents evidence on literacy trajectories for children in Ghana who enrolled in a Complementary Basic Education programme taught in mother tongue and transitioned into government schools. At the point of transition, we find that children who enrolled in government schools where the language of instruction differed from instruction in mother tongue did not perform as well in literacy. After a year in government schools, those taught in another local language caught up. By contrast, those who transitioned into English did not. Our evidence reinforces the benefits of mother tongue and local language instruction for progress in literacy.

This chapter draws from existing literature, analysis of school policy texts and codes of discipl... more This chapter draws from existing literature, analysis of school policy texts and codes of discipline, to examine the context and history of school social control in sub-Saharan Africa using some evidence from Ghana. It highlights how school hierarchies, institutional surveillance mechanisms, and the code of discipline produce school social control in the sub-Saharan Africa context. It discusses school hierarchical organization as a mechanism for control based on a case study in Ghana. The discussion examines how teachers’ own schooling and training experiences make them agents of school social control and how corporal punishment plays a key role concluding with the role that foreign languages play in controlling access to further education and future social and economic opportunities.

Northern Ghana presents an interesting case of the limitations of the conventional school system ... more Northern Ghana presents an interesting case of the limitations of the conventional school system in reaching underserved and deprived populations with basic education. Due to the peculiar nature of its demographic characteristics and the socio-economic challenges that confront this area of Ghana, conventional school systems are unable to thrive and make an impact in remote areas. Many of these communities are sparsely populated and scattered making distance a hindrance to school. attendance. A major barrier to access and participation is also the cost. In poor deprived communities whether or not children attend school usually depends on the direct or indirect costs to families. Direct costs arises from schooling accessories such as uniforms, books and writing materials whilst the indirect costs are largely in the form of income lost from the child’s potential employment or contribution to household income through direct labor. Yet another obstacle is the official school calendar whi...

EDUCATION FOR ALL AND MULTIGRADE TEACHING, 2006

Page 237. CHAPTER ELEVEN EXTENDING BASIC EDUCATION TO OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NORTHERN GHANA Wh... more Page 237. CHAPTER ELEVEN EXTENDING BASIC EDUCATION TO OUT-OF-SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NORTHERN GHANA What can multigrade schooling teach us? ALBERT KWAME AKYEAMPONG INTRODUCTION This ...

... July 2011 Lead Researcher and authors: • Professor Eustella Bhalalusesa bhalalusesa@edu. udsm... more ... July 2011 Lead Researcher and authors: • Professor Eustella Bhalalusesa bhalalusesa@edu. udsm.ac.tz • Jo Westbrook • Kattie Lussier Researchers: • Dr Rebecca Sima • Dr Martha Qorro • Dr Joviter Katabaro • Ms Magreth Matonya • Mr Jonas Tiboroha • Mr Ibrahim Nzima ...