We have now interviewed the senior staff of the Education Office. All have been most welcoming and willing to tell us about their roles. We have posed questions to seek out what they see as the strengths of the service and the areas that could improve their effectiveness. Coming from a privileged country, it is humbling to find that virtually all said the greatest strength of the service is the teamwork and willingness to support each other. The greatest challenge is securing fuel that allows them to visit the 60+ schools for which they feel really responsible. None was concerned that every pen, pencil or piece of paper, has to be applied for and justified. Whilst most are eager to have training on computers, it is clear that the infrastructure to gain benefit from IT is not here yet.
The Ghana Education model reminds us so much of the UK in the early 20th century, with a little layer of 90s centralised government and a pinch of 21st century. Virtually everything is prescribed by central government. The responsibilities of officers, heads and teachers are laid out in handbooks sent from Accra. Central government also determines every proforma used for budgeting, lesson planning, monitoring etc. There is very little autonomy in the system.
Education is compulsory up to the age of 14 years, although school attendance is very low in comparison to the West. At age 11, students transfer from primary schools to junior secondary schools, and they take final examinations at the end of their third year. A small number go on to senior high schools up to the age of 18 years. The primary and junior secondary schools are referred to as basic schools.
Teachers apply to the district office and are placed in schools where they are needed by the local officers. They can be moved around at any time. As well as teaching, they are expected to keep the school clean and grow and distribute food. Teachers also have a key role in setting up and maintaining “latrines”. Health and hygiene form a central part of the curriculum. Teachers have classes of 60+ students. Some classrooms have a blackboard and chalk. Text books, distributed from Accra, are often out of date or non-existent by the time any are seen in the Upper West. Some schools have no buildings at all i.e. they meet under a tree.
Local inspectors, called circuit supervisors, have very clearly defined monitoring duties to carry out with each school, but they have to use the limited supply of Education Service motor bikes, and the frequent fuel shortages limit their capacity to carry out their duties. Whilst there are some old computers donated from the West, there is no capacity to maintain them. They are not networked and the skills to use even basic software are not yet in place. Some of the officers do not have electricity in their homes, so the idea of email or planning from home is clearly impossible. The education offices don’t have access to the Internet either.
A little tale: A teacher came to the office yesterday to see if he could bring 30 students to see a computer. The nationally prescribed curriculum states that he must teach students how to send an email. Even if he gains access to a computer, none of his students will be able to access the internet, and clearly will not be able to have an email account. Like other teachers, he has to teach IT using a blackboard and chalk.
Everything we are learning is absolutely fascinating. We are having to think very carefully about how to use our time to best effect. As far as the education service is concerned, we will be using a self-assessment tool, which will also be piloted in other parts of Ghana. Our role with schools will hopefully become clearer when we visit a number of schools next week.
On the home front, water has now come through the shower on 2 occasions – yippee!! It is a delight to be able to ride to the education offices, shops and market on our bikes. Linda is acting as the local bicycle ambulance for other volunteers, now that they have picked up that she has some medical knowledge. She has just returned from removing a large insect from the bed of a volunteer, as well as getting her to the pharmacy for treatment of shingles. We’re thinking of getting a blue flashing light for the bike.
