Godfred is 6 years old. He lives in Ghana. He started school at 4 years old and dreams of becoming a salesman when he’s older
He has 3 older siblings: Papa Kwasi, Mary and Esther.
“When I wake up in the morning I eat banku and peanut soup”, says Godfred. Banku is a type of dough made of corn and cassava, similar to Fufu. He washes the pots and sweeps the floor before starting the 3 kilometre journey to school. The next time he will eat is at the end of the day.
Godfred is one of four children we will be following over the next three years to learn about their education journey; their challenges in accessing foundational education and their hopes for the future. We will hear about...
They are #borntolearn, like all children. Their stories will demonstrate their commitment to learning and what we have to lose if we don’t invest in their education
Godred lives in Fosu, a small rural town located near Nkawkaw in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Near the base of the Kwahu Mountains, most families in Fosu work in agriculture, growing crops such as cocoa, maize, and cassava. You can access the town by car, bus or Tro Tro, which are local mini-buses.
There is a primary school and a small health centre in the town, as well as a few shops and markets for buying basic necessities.
Godfred’s father has passed away, but a lot of emphasis is put on education by his mother, Margret. She stopped school early and is not able to read.
“Even with writing it is very limited” she said. “Sometimes there is information from outside and nobody can read it because it is often difficult… I don’t want my children to suffer the way I did because I couldn’t go to school.”
The good news is that more children are accessing Ghana every year, with faster improvement than in many of its neighbouring countries. The percentage of children completing primary school in the country increased from 57% in 2000 to 77% twenty years later.
Out-of-school numbers are decreasing across all education levels in Ghana
But families like Margaret’s are not sending their children to school just because the option is there. They hope they will come away better off as a result.
“What I want for all my children is for them to learn! That is what my heart wants that they acquire a lot of knowledge at school” she told us.
But despite some recent encouraging progress in reading, learning outcomes remain low. Pupils aged just one year older than Godfred can read an average of just 2.5 words per minute, with up to three-quarters of children unable to read a single word.
Children in Africa are five times less likely to learn the basics than children elsewhere
This is where the work of Owusu, Godfred’s teacher is important.
She has been at his school for 11 months and teaches 40 students each day. She has a few tricks for making sure the children attend class every day: “they always come to school because I always make the class lively and because I always share trophies and biscuits”.
Without many textbooks in the class, Owusu has her own way of helping children learn the basics.
“During counting I use a bundle of straws, or sticks. Then for reading I use manila (paper) cards and plastic letters. Sometimes I use videos from my phone to teach for them to understand.”
Children’s chances of completing school change depending on where they live and their family’s income, however.
In Ghana, while there are no school fees, there are many other costs including uniforms and learning materials that families have to pay for. Two-thirds of the cost of education is paid for by households, not the government.
"Godfred always comes to school early, but due financial problems, he always comes to school without books” Owusu, his teacher told us.
"He is very active in class but sometimes he doesn’t participate because he doesn’t have exercise books. So he’ll be sleeping and doing other things”.
In Born To Learn, we recommend that:
- All children should have their own textbooks to learn, which are research-based and locally developed
The Spotlight Report for Ghana also calls for teachers to be provided with guidance on creating low-cost and no-cost teaching and learning materials. This could be a possible focus of some teacher professional learning community sessions.
