The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, has trained some national executive officers of the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS) as trainers for the Grow Your School Program. This is a partnership project with Global School Leadership (GSL), a non-profit organization that supports school leadership training in the Global South. The program aims to improve the quality and consistency of private school management in Ghana. The training was held at the Elimina Beach Resort in Cape Coast on December 14, 2023.
The Grow Your School Program will help private school owners, managers, and leaders in five regions of Ghana: northern, central, Upper West, Western North, and Savannah. The program will target more than 100 schools and focus on three areas: adopting simple and reliable record-keeping and accounting processes, promoting effective teaching practices in line with the new education policy and supporting teachers as they learn new practices, and engaging the whole school community – students, teachers, and families – with the school’s vision and mission. The program will run from January to March 2024, with the funding and support of GSL.
The IEPA-trained executives, including GNAPS president Prof. Damasus Tuurosong, first vice president Theopelous Emmanuel Laryea Kwei, first deputy general secretary Mrs Ama Atta Sagoe, second deputy general secretary Mr Kennedy Donkor, financial secretary Mr Joseph Donkor, first deputy national organiser Mr Adams Salifu and two non-executives, will act as facilitators and mentors for the program participants.
At the opening session of the training, the director of IEPA, Dr Michael Boakye-Yiadom, welcomed the trainees, acknowledged the consistent outstanding contribution of private schools in the Ghanaian educational gains and goals, and thanked them for their dedication and enthusiasm in increasing enrollment and enhancing access to education in Ghana.

The training which was in three sessions, took the trainees through “General facilitation and participant engagement strategies, school leadership, and checking biases when driving participant engagement”. The training concluded with an open forum where the trainees shared their feedback and experiences.
The Deputy Director-General, of Academic Programmes and Professional Development at IEPA, Dr Alfred Ampah Mensah, handled school leadership at the training while Prof. (Bro) Micahel Amakyi took participants through checking biases when driving participant engagement. Prof. (Mrs.) Marie A. B. Bakah, Head of Professional Development presented on training facilitation and participants’ engagement strategies
The Grow Your School Program is expected to positively impact the quality and consistency of private school management in Ghana, by enhancing the skills and knowledge of school leaders, management, and owners. The program is also expected to foster collaboration and communication among the private schools, GNAPS, GSL, and other stakeholders in the education sector.