UNGA81: Dr. Apaak calls for seamless transition from kindergarten to primary school

Deputy Minister for Education, Dr. Clement Abass Apaak, has called for a smoother transition between early childhood education and primary school to ensure children do not experience a sharp shift in their learning environment.

Dr. Apaak made the call on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) during a forum on the theme, “Building Strong Foundations: Why ECCE Must Be Integrated into National Foundational Learning Strategies.”

He said education should be treated as a continuous journey, with stronger links between early childhood education and the primary school system.

“Learning is cumulative. Success at seven depends on what happened in the first two thousand days: at home, at play, and in early childhood or kindergarten,” he said.

According to Dr. Apaak, Ghana must strengthen the transition from kindergarten to Primary 1 through curriculum and teaching approaches that allow children to move naturally from play-based learning into formal education.

“Let us build seamless homes, curricular and pedagogical transitions into Primary 1, and end the shock children feel when they move from play to rigid desk-learning,” he said.

He noted that Ghana already provides two years of free and compulsory kindergarten for four- and five-year-olds, with an inclusive, standards-based and play-based curriculum.

Dr. Apaak also cautioned policymakers and development partners against focusing only on early-grade interventions without considering the early childhood system that prepares children for primary education.

“If you target only Primary 1 to 3 and ignore the early childhood ecosystem that feeds those grades, your impact will remain capped,” he said.

He urged stakeholders to adopt a more integrated approach to early childhood and foundational learning to give children a stronger and more consistent educational foundation.