The influence of perception on the provision of early childhood education in the Kumasi Metropolis of Ghana

An individual is born with millions of neurons and the quality of the experiences he/she will have at the
early years can potentially determine the future life of that person. This makes quality early childhood
education pivotal. However, the perception people have about this influence how they prepare themselves
to provide that quality early childhood education for young children. Thus, this qualitative research
purposively sampled 26 participants to elicit their views about the perception they have about the criticality
of early years experiences and how the perception influenced how they were providing the early childhood
education within the Kumasi metropolis of Ghana. Data in the form of interview were analysed thematically.
The study found that experiences through the early childhood education are criticality serving as the
foundation for future education. The study also found that developmentally appropriate infrastructure (such
as tables and chairs sized to the height of learners, spacious and well-ventilated classroom), teachers who
are specifically trained in early childhood education and child friendly pedagogy should be in place to
ensure quality early childhood education and that how early childhood education was perceived greatly
influenced how it was provided. The recommendations based on the findings are that, there should be
more advocacy by teachers and headteachers on the criticality of early years experiences to ensure
people’s sufficient appreciation for quality early childhood education for young children. Importantly, early
childhood education should be completely detached from the primary and basic school to enable it receive
the due attention and the needed provision. Individuals with the right perception should be engaged with
the provision of ECE.