Celebrating World Teachers' Day: Meet Felicia!

Felicia Abena Kantu is a teacher and community facilitator supported by the MGCubed project in Ghana. She works in Ningo-Prampram District and has been a teacher at her school for 6 years. She has been a facilitator, supported by the GEC project, for the last 5 years.

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher?
There are very few people from my family who are educated and becoming a teacher helps me to help other families like mine. My current motivation is the fact that I am changing the lives of the many children passing through school.

2. What do you enjoy the most about teaching?
Having the children in my mind and the positive impact I have on them is my biggest motivation. I have faced several situations in life in which education was my biggest leverage, especially literacy. So, knowing that other people face similar situation, I always want to support them through education.

3. What did you do to support children from your school during COVID-19 school closures?
I was very happy when I heard that lessons were broadcast on TV. I moved from house to house to educate children and parents about the timetable for the programmes on Ghana Learning TV and to help them to follow the lessons.

4. Did you do anything specific to support girls or children with disabilities during school closures? If so, what was this?
I talked to girls who got pregnant during the pandemic and their parents to help them return as schools reopened. I am still following up with those who have given birth. I also supported a child with hearing difficulty who was referred to the district special needs coordinator.

5. How did you support caregivers during school closures?
I have the contact details for all the parents within the project. I called parents during the day to remind them about the TV lessons and find out about the challenges they are facing. I also supported them with the timetable and other resources so that they can support the children.

6. What did you do to help children return to school once schools reopened?
I went to churches and schools as part of the back-to-school campaign to support school reopening and returning. I followed up on those who didn’t return to understand their situation and ensure that they return. I ensured that they observe all the pandemic protocols.

7. What do you think was most effective in supporting children to return to school?
The back-to-school campaign embarked on by the project was very useful. This is because we visited churches and homes, so both learners and parents were informed together. Visiting their homes was very useful. Observance of the protocol during reopening was very useful in giving parents confidence about the safety of their children, thereby improving re-enrolment.

*Click here to read more about the teachers and facilitators of the MGCubed project in this blog Getting girls back into school: strategies for successfully re-enrolling girls in Ghana and Sierra Leone*