Why are Ghana's students dancing in school?

DW (English)

In Ghana, an innovative educator is teaching students core subjects using the art of dance. Who wouldn't want to be a student at his school and enjoy such a fun-filled learning experience?

Transcript

00:00In rural Ghana, where dropout rates are a major concern, what's the secret behind this

00:06teacher's ability to keep students eager to learn?

00:10I'm entertaining them to come to school and building their self-confidence, their relationship,

00:19so that people can feel free to communicate with teachers.

00:23Persisaki, simply known as the dancing schoolteacher, is convinced that learning maths can be as

00:29fun as dancing.

00:31How can movement and rhythm unlock the academic potential of young minds?

00:36Let's find out.

00:42Persisaki brings joy and energy to the local Presbyterian school in Obon Kwewu, a rural

00:48town in the eastern region of Ghana.

00:51His creative teaching methods and innovative practices have earned him international acclaim.

00:57Organizations such as UNICEF appreciate his approach to education.

01:02However, implementing his own conventional teaching methods in the rather conservative

01:07rural Ghana was not exactly easy.

01:11What were the biggest concerns against it?

01:13Some parents thought we are playing, their kids come to school and they don't learn,

01:18it's only about dance.

01:19But here lies the case, without this entertainment, people will not come to school.

01:24Parents who are not having interest in paying their fees or paying their bills in school.

01:29But as I started my methodology, pupils are coming to school and it forces parents to

01:34also make their payment or their responsibility in their school.

01:39Many children in rural Ghana come from low-income families where the priority is survival.

01:45They may be needed at home to help with farming or other household chores and these take precedence

01:50over education.

01:52However, basic education in Ghana is compulsory and music and dance are part of the curriculum.

01:59Music and dance is part of the GES curriculum, it's in the creative arts and the performing

02:05arts.

02:06So we normally do it as a subject on its own, but little did we know that we could infuse

02:11this music and dance into teaching other subjects until Sir Percy came in and we realized that

02:18wow, the integration of music and dance into teaching English language, mathematics and

02:23science is really helping the students, is helping them in retention and is helping them

02:29to engage themselves much more in the activities we do apart from music and dance in other

02:34subjects also.

02:35Percy is committed to using creativity as a teaching tool.

02:40But how does it look like to integrate dancing into teaching subjects like maths, English

02:45or science?

02:47The lesson or the topics that we treat, because we lack materials, I mean in terms of the

02:56TLM, teaching and learning materials, when I find that people are having challenges,

03:00I'll go back a little, practice it with a dance, then I'll come back to class, fuse

03:06in with the lesson, then I will demonstrate it first for people to know how to go about

03:13it.

03:14After I practice with the peoples, then after practicing it together, I ask people to come

03:19in front, demonstrate for their friends to also see it.

03:22After we are done practicing and you ask them questions, you give them exercises, they will

03:28come out brilliantly with excellent marks.

03:31By now, everybody here has accepted Percy's teaching methods, inventing new learning methods

03:39that think of the students first and teaches them the subject matter with joy, while at

03:44the same time convincing parents that their children have a right to education.

03:49Has that always been Percy's calling?

03:52My mother being a teacher motivated me a lot because I remember when I was in Physics 6,

03:59sometimes she gives me the chance of writing on the board, writing an assignment on the

04:04board, and it boosted me to become a teacher.

04:07I was good at playing football as well.

04:10But it got to a time when some peoples were in awe, not because of anything, but how teachers

04:16go about selecting their players.

04:18And I thought wisely that I should also come to the teaching field, help people that got

04:24talent, then make them one of the best.

04:26All these peoples that they are talented in my school, when it comes to quizzes, like

04:32let's say my school is going to represent a quiz, they are the peoples that are being

04:38selected to represent my school.

04:40These people that are talented are making good results in academics.

04:45However, if labour is more important than academic results, why should Dance of All

04:50Things change this view?

04:52I believe creative art can change not only Ghana, even the world.

04:57If the youth are not getting jobs, they complete school and they are not getting jobs, it's

05:01a big issue and a big challenge for the country.

05:04This is why we have the conflict here and there.

05:06But at the end of the day, when we build up the creative art solidly from school or from

05:11scratch, it will be able to reduce unemployment in the world, not only in Ghana.

05:15Under Percy's guidance, the students no longer simply walk to school.

05:20They dance their way towards a brighter future with every step filled with enthusiasm and

05:26hope.

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