Invest In Training School Leaders – Education Expert Wisdom Koudjo Klu Urges Government

Education practitioner Wisdom Koudjo Klu has called on Government and education stakeholders to prioritise the training of school leaders as “the single most effective element for improved student learning”.

In his speech on education reform, Klu stated that in discussions of curriculum review, infrastructure development and examination regulations, the issue of school-level leadership has been ignored.

“Schools don’t improve by accident. It is designed by people who can lead other people, their resources and learning outcomes well,” Klu emphasized.

International and local research has repeatedly demonstrated a strong relationship between school leadership and student achievement, he said. The effectiveness of well-trained head teachers, he said, encourages teachers, raises the quality of teaching and mobilizes community support to tackle problems.

The priority of leadership development in Ghana was also stressed by Klu, particularly in rural schools that are resource deprived. Leaders in such settings, he said, require training in focusing more on data-driven decision-making, solutions from outside health care to deploy resources and engaged community members.

Without leadership training, head teachers were ‘condemned to operate on outdated administration routines rather than transformational leadership practices’, he warned.

He added, “it is important for the Ministry of Education and its agencies -not forgetting Colleges of Education and NGOs focused on education- to team up and develop an in-service training programme that supports school leaders.

Klu concluded that no amount of education reforms could have a lasting impact if head teachers/principals are not thoroughly prepared to think outside the box.

“We cannot afford not to invest in leadership training for our school leaders; it is by no means optional if Ghana is to develop an equitable and high-performing education system,” he said.