Ghana wants learner-centred classrooms – but many teachers still favour old methods

The Conversation · 🇦🇺 public Australia · Jun 07, 2026 · 921 words · By Frank Quansah

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What to know about Ghana wants learner-centred classrooms – but many teachers still favour old methods

The article discusses the challenges of implementing learner-centred curriculum reforms in Ghana and other African nations. Based on a study of 282 teachers, the authors argue that systemic issues like overcrowded classrooms and examination pressures hinder the transition from traditional rote memorisation to active learning.

Propaganda risk 10%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center75%

Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Across Africa, countries are redesigning school curricula to prepare children for the demands of the 21st century.

Why it matters

These reforms aim to nurture creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving rather than rote memorisation in schools.

Common ground

Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia have made changes, and Ghana is part of the movement too.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Ghana wants learner-centred classrooms – but many teachers still favour old methods?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that About 90% had received training on Ghana’s new curriculum?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://theconversation.com/ghana-wants-learner-centred-classrooms-but-many-teac…

analyticsAnalysis

10%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 95%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6

check_circle Corroborated 2

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “About 90% had received training on Ghana’s new curriculum.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence discusses curriculum implementation in Ghana and teacher training in Chile/general contexts, but none of the results confirm the specific figure that 'About 90%' of the surveyed teachers received training.

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web search NEUTRAL — Chile introduced new standards for its teacher training curriculum backed by an ... if their teachers received centralized training, compared to 0.24 if their ...
https://educationcommission.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/T…

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web search NEUTRAL — Management concerns about a new curriculum, for example, can take at a least ... also makes clear that teachers, especially new teachers, who receive coaching and ...
https://teachertaskforce.org/sites/default/files/migrate_def…

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web search NEUTRAL — A cross-sectional survey design was employed to conduct the study in ten schools in the ten Sub-Metropolitan Assemblies in Kumasi. The schools were selected by ...
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/360544864_IMPLEMENT…

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Claim 2: “The findings revealed two distinct groups of teachers... the minority (74 teachers, 26.2%) [strongly embraced learner-centred teaching]... Most teachers fell into a second category that we described as “conditional learner-centred believers”.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The description of the two groups (the 26.2% who strongly embraced learner-centred teaching and the 'conditional learner-centred believers') is found only in the source 'Ghana wants learner-centred classrooms – but many teachers still...'.

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web search NEUTRAL — The first group strongly embraced learner-centred teaching. These teachers believed learners should actively participate in lessons, collaborate with others and take some responsibility for their own …
https://www.modernghana.com/news/1500080/ghana-wants-learner…

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web search NEUTRAL — Four teachers, with varying teaching experience, participated in the study. Data were collected using written responses and audio and video recordings. Analysis of the data reflected two elements.
https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1149246

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web search NEUTRAL — The study concludes that effective classroom practices and the adoption of learner-centered teaching methods are essential to improving academic performance among students.
https://noyam.org/jelt2026756/

help

Claim 3: “teachers who attended more professional development programmes per year were about 30% more likely to support learner-centred teaching.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support the claim that professional development increased support for learner-centred teaching by 30%.

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Claim 4: “we surveyed 282 basic school teachers in Ghana”

CORROBORATED

Two separate web search results mention a study surveying 282 basic school teachers in Ghana (one specifically mentioning the Central Region and another mentioning the Old Tafo Municipality).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Bank of Ghana (abbreviated as BoG) is the Central Bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. The Bank of Ghana has Seven Regional Offices in addition to its head office in Accra…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bank_of_Ghana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Demographic features of the population of Ghana include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, religious affiliations, and other aspects. Ghana's population is 30,832,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Ghana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Military ranks of Ghana are the military insignia used by the Ghana Armed Forces. Being a former colony of the United Kingdom, Ghana shares a rank structure similar to that of the United Kingdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_ranks_of_Ghana

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “In 2019, Ghana introduced a new curriculum for basic schools that strongly promotes learner-centred teaching.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web sources confirm that Ghana introduced a new curriculum for basic schools in 2019 (or starting from 2017 reforms) that promotes learner-centred teaching/pedagogy.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ghana ( GAH-nə), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated with the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Ivory Coast to the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ghana national football team represents Ghana in men's international association football. It is nicknamed the Black Stars after the Black Star of Africa in the flag of Ghana. The team is governed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_national_football_team

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "God Bless Our Homeland Ghana" is the national anthem of Ghana; it was adopted in 1957 when Ghana declared its independence from the United Kingdom.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Bless_Our_Homeland_Ghana

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “Teachers with more years of experience were less likely to hold a strong belief in learner-centred methods.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The search results discuss teacher self-efficacy and general learner-centred pedagogy, but none provide evidence of a negative correlation between years of experience and belief in learner-centred methods for the specific Ghanaian study mentioned.

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web search NEUTRAL — Jun 23, 2024 ... The study found no significant difference between teachers' gender and their self-efficacy. However, there exist a significant difference ...
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381636889_Effect_of…

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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 28, 2025 ... ... to technology-focused surveys among ... teacher–student relationships and a commitment to fairness and equity can enhance teachers' confidence in.
https://educationalpoint.net/download/teachers-characteristi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Learners become involve in decision-making in dialogue with peers and the teacher; traditional power distances between teachers and students are reduced; there ...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S073805932…

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Claim 7: “Existing research in Ghana and other African countries shows that schools continue to struggle with overcrowded classrooms, limited teaching materials and examination systems that still reward memorisation”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific claim regarding overcrowded classrooms, limited materials, and memorization-based exams in Ghana and other African countries is found in one source (The African Mirror). Other results are either generic or about different countries (Vietnam/Qatar).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christianity is the largest religion in Ghana, with 71.3% of the population belonging to various Christian denominations as of 2021 census. Islam is practised by 19.9% of the total population. Accordi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Ghana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Witchcraft beliefs are very real concerns for many Ghanaians and influence attitudes and daily behaviors. Shaped by colonial legacies, other religions, contemporary thought, and the current government…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft_in_Ghana

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia have made changes [to school curricula], and Ghana is part of the movement too.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general Wikipedia entries about Kenya and South Africa (population, soccer, food) but does not mention curriculum changes in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, or Ghana. No corroborating evidence was found in the search results provided.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ugali, also known as posho, nsima, papa, pap, bogobe, sadza, isitshwala, akume, amawe, ewokple, akple, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn or mahindi flour in several Afric…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugali

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The South Africa national soccer team represents South Africa in men's international soccer and is run by the South African Football Association, the governing body for soccer in South Africa. Nicknam…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa_national_soccer_t…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — White Africans of European ancestry refers to citizens or residents in Africa who can trace full or partial ancestry to Europe. They are distinguished from Arabs, Berbers, and Copts in North Africa, w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Africans_of_European_anc…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Most of the participants were professionally trained teachers (83%), and nearly 80% had 10 years or less of teaching experience.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific statistics (83% professionally trained, 80% with 10 years or less experience) appear in only one source (The African Mirror) describing the participants of the 282-teacher study.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — General elections were held in Ghana on 7 December 2024 to elect the president and all 276 members of Parliament. The incumbent President Nana Akufo-Addo, having completed his constitutional term limi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Ghanaian_general_election

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Judiciary of Ghana comprises the Superior Courts of Judicature, established under the 1992 Constitution, and the Inferior Courts, established by Parliament. The hierarchy of courts derives largely…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judiciary_of_Ghana

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Loyola Jesuit College is a private Catholic secondary school in Abuja, Nigeria. It was founded on 2 October 1996 by the Society of Jesus in Nigeria and was named after the founder, Ignatius of Loyola.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyola_Jesuit_College

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.