The Director General of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, has urged District Directors of Education to move beyond inspection and become instructional coaches who actively support teachers and improve learning outcomes in classrooms.
He said the success of education policies should not be measured by what is written in Accra, but by the quality of teaching and learning in communities across the country.
“Policies may be written in Accra. Lessons are taught in Bawku, Zebilla, and Garu. Between the two, that is the policy and lesson, stands our hard-working district directors of education. You are the hinge on which the door of national policy swings open to the classroom,” he said.
Prof. Davis was speaking through Prof. Smile Gavua Dzisi, who represented him at the 33rd Annual Conference of Directors of Education (CODE) in Bolgatanga.
He described district-level leadership as critical to translating national education policies into meaningful classroom experiences, stressing that a curriculum could not deliver results without textbooks, teacher support and effective supervision.
“A curriculum remains just a document until learners have textbooks, teachers receive support and schools are supervised,” he said.
He warned that weaknesses in district-level implementation ultimately affect learners, arguing that effective district leadership improves school performance, strengthens teachers’ confidence and creates better conditions for learning.
Prof. Davis urged directors to ensure that supervision helps teachers improve their practice and gives headteachers clearer direction, rather than becoming an exercise in inspection.
He also emphasised the need to strengthen foundational learning, particularly reading, writing and numeracy, saying the focus of education management should go beyond school enrolment to whether children are actually learning.
“Our responsibility is not simply to count the children in school, but to ensure that the children in the school are learning,” he said.
Upper East Regional Minister calls for measurable classroom results
The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, also urged education directors to ensure that national education policies translate into measurable improvements in classrooms.
“The success of education policy is not determined by what is written in the policy document alone, but by what happens in our classrooms. Your leadership must therefore be visible in effective supervision, teacher performance, responsible resource management, and measurable improvements,” he said.
Mr. Atanga described education as a pathway out of poverty and a means of reducing inequality in the Upper East Region.
He called for equitable teacher deployment, adequate teaching and learning materials, and stronger support for girls and children with disabilities to ensure that vulnerable learners are not left behind.
The Minister also raised concerns about what he described as a decline in discipline and moral standards in schools, calling for stronger collaboration among the Ghana Education Service, district assemblies, traditional authorities, parents and development partners.
The conference brought together education directors to deliberate on issues affecting education delivery, with calls for stronger district leadership and more effective supervision placing the classroom at the centre of policy implementation.
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