The 2026 Overall Best Teacher in the Talensi District, Miss Sophia Akumagoa Aliewa Bawa, has moved beyond the classroom to champion child-led initiatives aimed at addressing educational and social challenges confronting schoolchildren in the district.
Miss Bawa, who is also the Founder of the Safe Childhood Bright Future Initiative (SCBFI), said her experience as a teacher and recognition as the district’s Best Teacher prompted her to consider how she could extend her impact to children beyond the classroom.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Teachers’ Caucus programme hosted by Agame Solomon Prosper, she said her love for children and desire to see them develop confidence and realise their potential inspired the establishment of SCBFI.
“I am a lover of children, and I get fulfilled when I see children learn, grow, gain confidence, and excel.”
According to her, the initiative is built around the belief that children should not only be recipients of interventions but should also be empowered to identify and address challenges within their schools and communities.
She said the initiative was therefore shifting from the conventional approach of adults building a future for children to creating opportunities for children to actively participate in shaping their own future.
“We are moving from building a future for the children to giving them the opportunity and watching them build that future with their own hands.”
SCBFI has introduced a Young Change-Makers programme through which selected students are given responsibilities to promote positive change in their schools and communities.
Miss Bawa said the programme was responding to challenges including poor sanitation, environmental degradation and gaps in students’ foundational learning.
Young change-makers, she explained, are encouraged to lead cleanliness activities and influence their peers to adopt better sanitation practices.
They are also expected to plant between two and three trees every term in their schools and homes and monitor their growth as part of efforts to promote environmental responsibility.
The initiative also seeks to strengthen children’s confidence by involving them in activities such as welcoming guests and organising peer-led programmes.
Miss Bawa said SCBFI was also developing interventions to address foundational literacy challenges among pupils and students, particularly those who reach Junior High School with difficulties in basic reading, spelling and pronunciation.
The initiative is introducing book-borrowing clubs, spelling bees and pronunciation exercises to encourage children to read and improve their communication skills.
She said the programmes were intended to provide additional opportunities for children to strengthen their academic abilities while developing a culture of reading.
The initiative is also seeking to challenge perceptions that technical and vocational education is less prestigious than academic education.
Miss Bawa said some children with practical abilities could be disadvantaged by an education system and society that place strong emphasis on academic performance.
“Society makes it look like if you are doing technical work, you are not respected.”
SCBFI is therefore engaging former students who pursued vocational training to mentor younger children. Programmes in areas including liquid soap production, sewing and local crafts are also being introduced to help children identify and develop practical skills and talents.
Miss Bawa said SCBFI had so far partnered with six schools in the Tongo Central area. They include Salvation Army Junior High School, St Theresa Junior High School, Tenzuk Junior High School, Wobil Junior High School, Tongo Girls Model JHS and Tongo Junior High School.
She said the schools had responded positively to the initiative, with headteachers supporting the programme and nominating students to serve as young change-makers. The initiative is also addressing issues affecting adolescents, including teenage pregnancy and menstrual hygiene.
Miss Bawa said SCBFI’s mentorship programmes deliberately involved both boys and girls, particularly in discussions around menstruation, to promote understanding and reduce stigma.
She said educating boys about menstruation was important because they would grow into brothers, husbands, fathers and community members who would need to understand and support girls and women.
Miss Bawa urged parents, teachers and community members not to give up on children, stressing that every child has the potential to succeed if given the necessary encouragement and support.
“Let us not give up on our children. Let us continue to encourage our children. We should know that every child has potential, and that potential only needs endorsement for it to come up.”
Through SCBFI, she said she hoped to strengthen collaboration among schools, communities and other stakeholders to create an environment where children could develop academically, socially and practically while taking an active role in addressing challenges affecting their communities.
A1Radio |101.1Mhz| Agame Solomon Prosper
