Welcome to Ghana: A Land of Warm Hearts and Seemingly Insufficient Schools
Neglected, Disregarded, and Ignored; My Journey to Ghana Revealed the Blessing of Knowledge Accessibility
Stepping off the plane in Accra, Ghana, I was greeted with a heartwarming, "Akwaaba" - "Welcome." This was my introduction to a culture that would proves itself to be kind, generous, and inclusive in the three weeks I would spend in this small West African country. But it also gave me a glimpse into the education system, which perhaps, was not as ready to welcome as it claimed.
Over the course of my stay, I had the pleasure of meeting a diverse group of individuals - teachers, merchants, government officials, and more. Each one I encountered embodied the profound significance of community in Ghanaian society. And this was not limited to the adults - I saw these values reflected in the children I interacted with at the public school where I volunteered.
The purpose of my trip was to lend a helping hand to the youth of Ghana. Each day, I ventured to the school and pitched in as a teaching assistant. The kids were a joy to be around, and the real fun was during recess when they would break from their lessons and play. During these moments, I witnessed how effortlessly Ghanaian culture was passed down to the younger generations.
But the joy of recess was always short-lived as the children would return to class, back to learning in inadequate classrooms that were as rundown as the textbooks, back to small desks and pencils that seemed to have been designed for a child much smaller than them.
Arriving in the Heart of Ghana
Preparing for this trip had filled me with a mix of excitement and fear - I would be miles away from home, among strangers, and I was worried. The application process had been long and tedious, with multiple essays, forms, a Ghanaian visa, and online orientations. And yet, the reality didn't seem to set in until my last family dinner the night before my departure. As I looked around the table, it hit me - I would be boarding a plane in the morning, embarking on a journey that would take me to a foreign continent.
The plane ride was as interminable and uneventful as I had imagined, filled with turbulence and serving subpar food. But the real turbulence came as I stepped out of the plane and into the Kotoka International Airport in Accra. I exchanged uncomfortable glances with my fellow program members, all of us silently reviewing our mental checklists and considering how different this trip would be from anything we had ever experienced before.
We navigated customs in a series of awkward circles, eventually making our way out of the airport. Our first breath of fresh African air was cut short as the program leader called us together for a group photo in front of the large "Akwaaba" sign on the airport building. I had to hold up a Ghanaian flag for the picture - a new symbol of my journey about to begin.
Once loaded onto a small tro-tro, a common form of transport in Ghana resembling a van, we headed to our hostel. On the bus ride, the program leader briefed us on the logistics of our stay, and I couldn't help but marvel at the contrast between my New York City commute and this new mode of transportation - a testament to the differences that lay ahead.
Living Among the Locals
My first night at the hostel was quiet, filled with thoughts of the journey I'd just begun. But my rest was interrupted once more by our program leader, who came knocking on our door just two minutes after we had settled in. He led us back to the tro-tro, and I couldn't help but think, "Akwaaba" indeed.
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Living Among the Local Landscape
The tro-tro rides throughout our stay would take us to various outings, classes, and the service site, the Future Leaders School. These first rides on the day of our arrival gave me a taste of the diverse suburban landscape, markets, and narrow unfinished roads that seemed to be the norm in Accra. I couldn't help but feel a sense of gratitude for the stark contrast to my own life in the United States.
The most remarkable part of these rides, however, were our interactions with the people outside the tro-tro. Inside the bus, we were chatting, laughing, and playing music - but outside, a starkly different world existed. When we entered a busy area, young children would come knocking on the windows, pleading for food. This was one of the many challenging realities that would confront me during my time in Ghana.
Making a Difference
The majority of our tro-tro rides were to the Future Leaders School, which served as our service site. This public school, located right off a busy highway, was the realization of a man named Billa Mahmud's dream to make education accessible to his community. Mahmud started by teaching children from his neighborhood Math and English under a mango tree, but as his students grew in number, he built a wooden barn-like structure to accommodate them. This building still stands on the campus today, and over time, a larger building was added.
The school now has over 200 students aged 2 to 17 attending every day, taught by a dedicated group of teachers. Despite these efforts, however, the school is still struggling to maintain its mission of accessibility. With the free Senior High-School education policy in effect, the government has devoted significant funds to covering the fees for high school students, which has had a domino effect on the funding of the primary schools. As a result, these institutions do not have the resources to provide the best education for their students, and many are forced to reject children purely due to lack of funding.
Addressing Ghana's Education Crisis
Before departing for Ghana, I had an inkling that the education system might be struggling - I had heard it from previous travelers, and I packed all of my craft materials to bring with me. On the last day of service, I gave my students coloring pencils and markers, and their gratitude was heartwarming. But the sad reality is that these basic supplies were a luxury that many of their peers would not be able to enjoy.
Improving the education system in Ghana is a complex issue, one that requires attention to the root causes of the problem. One of the most prominent factors is poverty, which prevents many families from affording school fees, uniforms, and supplies. This issue is particularly prevalent in rural areas, where schools suffer from severe resource shortages.
The education system is also grappling with issues of quality and learning outcomes. These challenges are being addressed through initiatives such as SCALE and partnerships with international organizations like WHO, aimed at improving foundational learning skills, teacher training, and school infrastructure [1][2][3]. The efforts also focus on promoting child health and wellbeing, reducing child labor, and maintaining examination integrity [4][5].
Looking Ahead
The reality is that Ghana cannot ignore its economic struggles to prioritize its education system. But it starts with understanding the privileges we have in America - privileges like the ability to attend public schools withufficient resources and the opportunity to pursue a quality education. This is not the case for everyone in the United States, but it is certainly not the norm in Ghana or many other African countries.
It is my hope that the children I met on this trip will have the opportunities they deserve. I hope they will have access to education that matches their ambition and that they will be able to help future generations succeed. I hope that one day, Ghana's education system will move away from being underfunded, undervalued, and overlooked, and toward being a system that provides every child with the education they need to thrive.
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- accra
- Africa
- education
- future leaders school
- Ghana
- service
- study abroad
- trip
- volunteering
- The editorial discussion about the education system in Ghana must acknowledge the importance of addressing poverty and resource shortages in rural areas, as well as improving quality, learning outcomes, and teacher training.
- In the world of news, a significant story could focus on the efforts of international organizations, such as WHO, and Ghanaian initiatives like SCALE, to improve the country's education system and provide better opportunities for future generations.
- As part of a lifestyle feature, it would be interesting to explore the impact of Ghanaian culture on travelers, like the author, who visit the country and how these experiences influence their perceptions of travel, community, and cultural exchange.
