Abstract:
This study was done to investigate the stakeholders’ perspective of early childhood
education (ECE) in the Afigya Kwabre District. A quantitative research approach
methodology and simple random sampling was used for the survey. Two hundred and
eighteen (218) respondents consisting of 100 parents of ECE pupils and 118 teachers took
part in the survey. The questionnaire for the quantitative survey, involving teachers and
parents showed an overall Cronchbach’s Alpha of 0.82, which means the data collection
instruments had high degree of internal consistency and reliability. The study revealed
several challenges facing ECE in Afigya Kwabre District such as, failure of the District
Education Directorate (DED) to follow through with ECE policies and programmes
guidelines, lack of infrastructure at ECE schools, unqualified teachers handling ECE, large
class size sometimes resulting in overcrowding, and low level of salaries, of ECE teachers.
The study recommends that the ECE teachers and other ECE staff should be adequately
and meaningfully motivated in the form of paying them sustainable salaries and providing
them with professional and additional responsibility allowances and low interest rate loans
to enable them take care of their basic needs. This will go a long way to forestall the
problem of qualified teachers refusing posting to kindergarten schools.
Description:
A Dissertation in the Department of Educational Leadership, Faculty of Education
and Communication Sciences, submitted to the School of Graduate Studies,
University of Education, Winneba, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for
award of the Master of Arts (Educational Leadership) degree
DECEMBER, 2020