An Assessment of the Availability and Usage of Instructional Materials in Teaching at the Basic Schools in the Tamale Metropolise

Abstract

The study was designed to assess the availability and use of teaching learning materials in Basic schools in the Tamale metropolis. It examined the nature of the materials available, mode of acquisition, and the frequency at which Basic school teachers use the available materials in teaching and learning to achieve instructional objectives in the classrooms. The descriptive case study design was used for the study. The target population for the study was all the basic school teachers in the Tamale metropolis of the Northern region-Ghana. A sample of One Hundred and eighty-five (185) teachers was randomly selected from twenty Junior High Schools in the metropolis. The main instrument for the study was questionnaire used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data for analysis. Based on the analysis made, it was revealed that while some basic school in the Tamale metropolis lacked teaching and learning materials, other schools had variety of teaching and learning materials. In basic schools where the teaching learning were available, the materials were found in the classrooms for use but were kept either in the headmaster’s office, the storeroom, or the ICT centre. It can be inferred that teachers could only use these materials for teaching if they made formal requests to the appropriate authorities. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the Ghana education service together with other partners in education procure adequate teaching and learning materials for all basic schools particularly those that don’t have any. Saves or lockers should also be provided in each classroom to safely store these teaching and learning materials to easy access to them whenever required without having to apply formally for them anytime they need to use them to teach. School authorities should consciously set aside part of the capitation grant for the purchase of these materials to bridge the resource gap in Basic schools within the Tamale metropolis.