Training begins long before anyone enters the room.

When Parents International works with local partners, we do not start from a ready-made handbook and simply deliver it unchanged. We start by listening. Local partners tell us about current challenges, classroom realities and community needs. We propose possible topics, discuss priorities, adapt the structure and refine the activities together.

This is the approach behind our new booklet, Training in Africa Programme: Ghana 2026, which tells the story of our two-day teacher training delivered in Accra, Ghana, in partnership with Parenting Education Network Ghana.

Over 50 teachers of children aged 0–11 took part in practical, participatory sessions on critical thinking, positive discipline and problem-solving, with digital and information literacy running across the programme. Some participants had already joined earlier trainings. Their voluntary return was positive feedback in itself, and a clear sign of commitment to continued professional learning.

The booklet captures what happened in the room, what worked, what challenged us, and what we are taking forward.

The training was built around active participation. Teachers discussed real classroom situations, took part in role-play and simulation, moved, reflected, worked in groups and developed individual activity plans. These plans were then shared with other participants, helping to create the foundations for a local community of practice.

The booklet also names the challenges we observed with honesty and respect. Positive discipline techniques still need practice and support. Digital tools, including AI and social media platforms, are being used widely, but digital literacy and source verification need strengthening. Teachers also reflected on adult cooperation, assumptions about families and children, and the need for clearer guidance on sedentary screen time for young children.

Just as importantly, the booklet highlights the strengths present in the room: active participation, peer support, reflection, openness to new perspectives and a strong connection to classroom use. These are not abstract outcomes. They are the foundations on which future training, school-family cooperation and community support can grow.

The final section of the booklet also links readers to practical resources from the Parent Help Library, including guides on digital literacy, trauma-informed education, stakeholder engagement and family support.

The work does not end when a training session ends. It continues when teachers adapt ideas, share them, test them and build stronger relationships around children.

That is what we saw in Ghana. And that is what we will continue to support.

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