I recently went to a different part of the country. I was in the Brong Ahafo region (B.A., hence the cheesy title of this blog post). I went with my colleagues to complete a phase of Plan Ghana’s TAP (Transition and Persistence) Project. Our role was to host a community meeting (with the help of a Plan Ghana community facilitator), sensitize the junior highschool children and their parents/grandparents on the issues of child rights issues and form a Child Rights Club in the school. It was eye opening to see the conditions of schools in the rural regions. It was even more interesting to see how excited the parents were to take on this new program. The parents in these communities are really willing to do whatever it takes for their children to be happy and successful, they just need the opportunities.
Something that I can’t help but comment on is the stark difference between private schools and public schools in Ghana. I was brought to a private school in the area we were working. The facilities were wonderful, the classrooms fully equipped, the teachers happy to be working and the children calm and focused. I asked the community facilitator who we were travelling with how much a private school cost compared to the “free” public schools She told me that this private school cost less than 200 Ghana Cedis a semester. That is less than $100 Canadian dollars per semester. In Canada, that would not be a problem for most families. Order ones less pizza a month and your tuition is covered. What is so appalling is the difference between these private schools and the public schools. One of the public schools we went to had no building for a JHS because it had been blown down in a storm...4 months ago. The children were taking their lessons and doing their school work under trees. Many of them had torn, mismatching uniforms, and most of the teachers do not want to be where they are. Teachers often don’t want to work in rural communities, so the government sends newly-certified teachers to these locations and they are often counting down the days until they can get out. It is amazing how such a small amount for most in Canada, is the difference in the quality of education in Ghana.
I am back at work now, feeling more focused and motivated. We have a new volunteer, a woman in her late thirties who has come here with her husband. She has a lot of experience, and has done a long-term placement in Malawi before. I am really excited to learn from her and see what she brings to the organization.
The weather is getting hotter and stickier every day. I am preparing to become a beach bum, will be a rough transition back to Canadian weather!
