From Pilot to Policy: TFLI’s Evolution and the Launch of Inspiring Teachers Ghana
In August 2024, IDP Foundation, Inc announced an exciting partnership with Inspiring Teachers and the Center for Professional Development, Training and Education (CPDTE) to develop and scale the Tools for Foundational Learning Improvement (TFLI) initiative. This ambitious program was designed to empower school leaders and teachers in low-fee private schools across Ghana with simple, evidence-driven tools to boost foundational literacy and numeracy outcomes.
Today, we are proud to share a major milestone in that journey: the launch of Inspiring Teachers Ghana (ITG) and our deepened commitment to foundational learning in Ghana. With commitment of $800,000 grant funding over the next four years, IDP Foundation is supporting ITG in a bold new phase of development, implementation, and advocacy.
Laying the Foundation: TFLI’s Early Success
Since its launch, TFLI has focused on providing practical, pedagogically-sound tools and content for improving classroom instruction in the early grades. The initiative quickly gained traction. By the end of 2024, the partnership had:
- Expanded to 55 schools in Ghana’s Central Region
- Trained 73 school leaders and 439 teachers
- Reached approximately 9,300 learners
- Secured a place in the MasterCard Ed-Tech Accelerator Fellowship and the Global Schools Forum Impact at Scale Program
- Launched an 80-school randomized control trial (RCT) with researchers from the University of Ghana and the University of Washington, backed by J-PAL and Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA)
These efforts not only demonstrated TFLI’s potential impact but also positioned it as a scalable, research-backed solution for foundational learning challenges in non-state and public schools Ghana and beyond.
Inspiring Teachers Ghana: A Platform for Local Leadership
To drive forward this momentum and center the work within Ghana’s educational ecosystem, Inspiring Teachers Ghana (ITG) was co-founded in June 2024 by Inspiring Teachers International and the CPDTE team. As a Ghana-based NGO, ITG is now leading the continued rollout of TFLI while positioning the initiative for broader system integration and influence.
With its locally anchored presence, ITG is strategically poised to extend the reach of TFLI and embed its tools and methodology within broader educational reforms—including in particular those targeting untrained teachers in the Affordable Non-State Sector (ANS).
What’s Next: Expanding Reach, Deepening Impact
With IDP Foundation’s support, ITG is now embarking on a transformative new chapter. Together with Inspiring Teachers International, the team will extend TFLI to cover literacy and numeracy for Grades 1–3 and leverage its insights to advocate for the creation of a new, national qualification for untrained teachers in Ghana.
Introducing: Foundations in Teaching
At the heart of this new phase is the vision for a “Foundations in Teaching” qualification—a rigorous, micro-credential-based sub-degree level certification aligned with Ghana’s National Teaching Standards. The goal is to make this certification:
- Recognized by the National Teaching Council (NTC) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC)
- Building on the TFLI curriculum
- Linked to micro-credentials and stackable toward a full Bachelor’s in Early Grade Education
This credential will be designed specifically for untrained teachers, opening an accessible new, affordable, and scalable pathway to professional growth, recognition, that gives teachers a stepping-stone towards eventually attaining formal degree attainment.
From Concept to Policy
To build and sustain momentum, with IDP support, ITG, with support from Inspiring Teacher International will pursue a three-pronged advocacy strategy over the coming years:
- 2024–2026: Secure recognition of a university-linked certification based on TFLI by key regulatory bodies (NTC and GTEC).
- 2025–2027: Implement the enhanced TFLI program across low-fee private schools, while sharing findings from IPA/J-PAL supported evaluations to generate policy and stakeholder interest.
- 2027–2028: Advocate for replication and expansion of the Foundational in Teaching approach, with a view toward exploring government-subsidized student financing or larger philanthropic investment.
This approach combines program development, implementation at scale, research, and policy engagement—all anchored in the experiences and needs of schools, teachers, and learners.
A Collective Vision for Ghana’s Educators
At IDP Foundation, Inc we believe that equipping teachers with tools, recognition, and professional growth opportunities is the cornerstone of foundational learning. With the establishment of Inspiring Teachers Ghana and our renewed support for the expanded TFLI initiative, we are deepening our commitment to learning-centered, teacher-centric scalable solutions that work for the most underserved.
We’re excited for what lies ahead as TFLI evolves from a program to a platform for change—supporting not only effective instruction that accelerates foundational learning but also meaningful, recognized pathways for Ghana’s educators to grow, thrive, and lead.
ITG has made significant strides in improving education in Low Fee Private Schools (LFPS) in parts of the central region of Ghana. Starting with just three sandbox schools in 2023, we’ve expanded to 56 active schools undergoing interventions in literacy and leading teaching.
A huge thank you to IDP Foundation for their instrumental role in initiating and supporting the partnership between CPDTE and ITI, which has brought us to this point.
This collaboration has yielded impressive results, with a focus on enhancing teacher development and training, as well as increasing access to financing the program in the LFPS. We’re optimistic about scaling this initiative to other parts of the region and beyond.
-Dr. Emmanuel K. Larbi Mantey Ph.D, Program Director, Inspiring Teachers Ghana
