Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
In the United States, we expect clean water to run from our tap, grocery stores to offer us a wide range of food options, our wall switch to produce electricity, and more. We have also been able to rely on our children receiving a free basic education. Public schools in the United States have been around since 1635, and states tend to mandate student attendance from 5 to 16 years old.
In other countries, however, public schools often come with out-of-pocket costs. Even at schools that don’t have a tuition cost of any kind (and many do), parents can be expected to supply transportation, school uniforms, meals for lunch, educational supplies, and other key services or parts of the schooling process. These are more than a challenge for the very poor. They can end a child’s education abruptly when times are tough.
While Ghana’s education system is better than those of many other sub-Saharan African nations, there is still room for improvement. Read on below to learn more about Ghana’s education system and how you can help Cross Catholic Outreach bring quality education to Ghanaian children.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Ghanaian education was largely informal and based on apprenticeship. European colonizers (in particular the British) brought the familiar structured school system to Ghana. Currently, Ghana’s schools operate on a 6-3-4-4 system:
The British also brought their language of instruction — English. While students in Ghana may use up to 11 local languages for the first three years of schooling, English is required for the remainder of their education. Students still study Ghanaian languages and French until at least senior secondary school but use English as their primary educational language.
The introduction of free and compulsory primary education in 1961 led to a strain on the Ghanaian school system. The nation was not prepared for the massive influx of students. Restructuring occurred during the 1980s, yet the quality of education still lagged behind its projected growth. Then, in 2017, the Ghanaian government declared that secondary education would also be free:
“There will be no admission fees, no library fees, no science centre fees, no computer laboratory fees, no examination fees, no utility fees. There will be free textbooks, free boarding and free meals.” — President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Unfortunately, the rapid expansion of Ghanaian education has led to critical shortages in the education system — too few teachers, classrooms, learning materials and even sanitary supplies. The introduction of free secondary school undoubtedly improved enrollment numbers, but the Ghanaian school system (which was already spread thin) struggles even more now to keep up with the growing number of students.
Children with disabilities rarely have their physical access or special educational needs met, so many fall behind in their classwork, and some drop out entirely. Additionally, gender and urban/rural disparities exist in the system. This means that while each child in Ghana receives an education, two different children may have very different opportunities to succeed.
Rural schools in particular struggle to attract and retain qualified teachers, instead relying on volunteers to act as teachers. Despite promises from the government for funding for facilities, many of these schools never receive the funding they need. In rural Ghana, a visitor can see “under the tree” schools where classes are literally taught under a tree because either no buildings are available or those structures are in such a state of disrepair that it is not safe for the children to use them. In these cases, bad weather means classes are canceled, leading to the already disadvantaged children falling further and further behind.
At Cross Catholic Outreach, we are dedicated to making sure that all God’s children have access to education. In pursuit of that mission, we have answered the pleas of our ministry partners in Ghana — but we need your help. If you feel called to provide life-changing education programs for impoverished children in Ghana, please consider supporting Christ-centered education through one of our school construction projects. Help us share the warmth of God’s love by providing the education they need to be happy and successful now and throughout their lives. Help give a child an education today!
Our mission is to mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. Your gift empowers us to serve the poorest of the poor by channeling life-changing aid through an international network of dioceses, parishes and Catholic missionaries. This cost-effective approach helps break the cycle of poverty and advance Catholic evangelization.