Ghana has reaffirmed its dedication to building strong educational leadership through the introduction of new national school leadership standards designed to enhance the capabilities of school leaders across the country.
Speaking at the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) Triennale 2025, held in Accra and hosted by the Ministry of Education, the Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Education, Prof. George K.T. Oduro, said the initiative underscores Ghana’s commitment to ensuring that every learner thrives under competent and visionary leadership.
“Ghana has developed new national school leadership standards to strengthen leadership capability in our schools,” Prof. Oduro told the gathering of educational leaders from across the continent.
Three Core Pillars of the New Standards
According to Prof. Oduro, the new standards are built upon three key pillars: pedagogical leadership, systems leadership, and community leadership.
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Pedagogical Leadership:
This pillar focuses on empowering teachers to lead effectively in the classroom, ensuring that every child is recognized and supported. The emphasis is on learning outcomes rather than merely teaching processes. -
Systems Leadership:
This aspect aims at creating an enabling environment within the education system by ensuring that schools have the resources, logistics, and institutional support necessary for effective teaching and learning. -
Community Leadership:
The third pillar emphasizes collaboration among all stakeholders — particularly parents — to promote foundational learning and language development, recognizing that education succeeds when everyone contributes.
“Collective effort is essential for educational success,” Prof. Oduro emphasized.
Rationale Behind the New Leadership Framework
Prof. Oduro explained that the development of the new standards was driven by a clear need identified through ongoing assessments of educational leadership programmes in the country.
Despite having leadership development initiatives in place, Ghana lacked clear national benchmarks to evaluate school leaders’ performance and alignment with national values.
“The absence of clear standards made it difficult to assess whether school leaders were performing adequately and to ensure quality outcomes,” he noted.
The new framework, therefore, serves as a performance and accountability tool that will help strengthen leadership quality and consistency across all schools.
Advancing Gender Parity in Educational Leadership
Addressing the issue of gender equality, Prof. Oduro described Ghana as a gender-friendly country, noting that the Affirmative Action Act passed by Parliament in 2024 is a strong indication of progress toward gender inclusion in leadership.
He also cited the appointment of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang as Ghana’s first female Vice President as a milestone achievement that reflects the country’s evolving leadership landscape.
“There is no discrimination in the appointment of school leaders in Ghana. The process is strictly merit-based. Once you qualify, you can apply — irrespective of gender,” he stressed.
However, Prof. Oduro referenced a study conducted in the Central Region, which revealed an interesting trend: some female teachers preferred working under male heads rather than female ones.
“We need more research to understand why that is so. But as a nation, our policies are clear — we are ensuring that women progress in leadership,” he added.
Ghana’s Leadership Vision for Africa’s Education Future
Prof. Oduro’s presentation at the ADEA Triennale highlighted Ghana’s broader vision of redefining educational leadership in Africa by emphasizing accountability, inclusivity, and community engagement.
The Ministry of Education’s new standards are expected to guide leadership training, performance evaluation, and continuous professional development across all schools in the country.
FAQs
1. What are Ghana’s new school leadership standards?
They are national benchmarks designed to evaluate and strengthen the performance and accountability of school leaders through three pillars — pedagogical, systems, and community leadership.
2. Why were these standards developed?
They were created to fill the gap in assessing leadership effectiveness and aligning performance with national education goals.
3. How do the standards promote gender inclusion?
The policy encourages merit-based selection and supports women’s advancement in educational leadership roles under Ghana’s Affirmative Action framework.
