The Teacher Community Assistant Initiative (TCAI), based on experiences identified in India and Kenya, was implemented on a larger scale by a consortium led by the Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). It is a broad public-private alliance, formed by Ghana Education Service (GES), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).

As it had been done in India and Kenya, the central focus of TCAI was the provision of reinforcement sessions by pedagogical assistants recruited from nearby communities, who had to be graduates of a state university and reside in the area where the school was located. The added value of TCAI lies in the introduction of two complementary instruments: the division of classes into small homogeneous groups; and the training of teachers in pedagogy oriented towards students with difficulty, and group work.

The reinforcement sessions given by a Community Assistant Professor (TCA), were tested in their two modalities between 2010 and 2013. Those modalities were: one implemented in classes, and another one, outside school hours. Both focused on vulnerable and struggling children in order to reinforce key skills, such as reading and math.

The two interventions that imply a prior identification of students based on their school results are complemented by a third and fourth intervention, which refer to: reducing class size by forming small homogeneous working groups, in terms of skills, to review the learning acquired; and in training teachers in teaching in small groups.

The whole process was based on the restructuring of the community-teacher relationship, with the formation of school management committees made up of teachers, principals and community leaders. These committees were in charge of identifying potential Teaching Assistants, monitoring their classroom performance, and contributing to the provision of necessary materials and infrastructure.