The 2026 World Theatre Day celebration in the Ketu South Municipality has spotlighted theatre not just as an art form, but as an innovative approach to education, particularly for students preparing for national examinations.
Organised by the National Theatre of Ghana, the event brought together students from multiple senior high schools, offering them a practical and engaging way to understand literature through live performance.
A key highlight of the programme was the staging of The Son of Umbele, a core English Literature text for final-year students. The performance provided learners with a deeper, more memorable understanding of the material ahead of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
According to Charles Elikplim Dorkenoo, who represented the Municipal Director of Education, the initiative demonstrated how drama could significantly enhance comprehension and retention among students. He noted that experiential learning—such as watching or participating in plays—has a stronger impact compared to traditional reading methods.
The success of the programme has prompted considerations to expand similar theatre-based learning initiatives to basic schools, particularly to support candidates preparing for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
While the educational benefits were evident, the event also reinforced theatre’s broader cultural significance. Acting Executive Director of the National Theatre, Henry Herbert Malm, emphasised that theatre remains a powerful medium for storytelling, cultural preservation, and social reflection.
He noted that involving young people was a deliberate strategy to help them appreciate theatre as a platform for expressing societal issues and preserving cultural identity.
The celebration demonstrated how theatre can bridge the gap between education and culture, offering students both academic support and a deeper connection to their heritage through live performance.
