Reflections on Supported Teaching in School (STS) as a Strategy for Attaining Sustainable Teacher Education in Ghana

The study delves into the innovative strategy of Supported Teaching in School (STS) as a transformative approach to achieving sustainable teacher education in Ghana. This reflection explores the experiences of a student-teacher in the STS program, providing insights into the benefits and challenges faced by the student-teacher, as well as the advantages of the program for learners. A qualitative approach with a case study design was adopted for the study. The sample consisted of final-year undergraduate students from four Colleges of Education, faculty members, and link tutors from assigned STS schools. An interview guide was developed, and data was collected through Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and in-depth interviews. Data was analyzed using a thematic analytical approach. Three main themes (benefit of STS to the student-teacher, challenges of STS, and benefits of STS to the learners) with their subthemes emerged from the analysis. The article highlights how STS equips student-teachers with practical skills, improve their confidence and communication skills, fosters innovation through diversified instructional methods, and promote healthy student-teacher-community relationships. The STS also benefited learners by inculcating a sense of self-discipline, creating collaborative learning, assisting mentors, and promoting gender inclusivity. However, challenges such as accommodation difficulties, misuse of instructional time, language barrier, inadequate resources and communication gaps between educational institutions and practice schools must be addressed for sustainable implementation. STS has the potential to transform teacher education in Ghana and support the country’s sustainable educational growth and development, as well as the attainment of all the sustainable development goals.