As Ghanaians we are rightly proud of our national achievements; winning early independence, championing pan-Africanism and supporting liberation struggles across the continent, founding a vibrant democracy and building our economy. And yet 57 years after independence there are still areas that remain woefully neglected; particularly the education system in the north of the country.
This came home to me recently as I was taking my daughter to school in the capital Accra to sit for the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The BECE - a week of examinations taken by every school child in Ghana - serves as the crucial bridge between basic and higher level education. My daughter, along with others attending schools in urban areas in the south of the country, stands a relatively fair chance of passing this exam.
But pupils in the rural parts of the north, where I grew up, are almost certain to fail because of the decades of educational neglect by successive governments. Ghana consistently ranks high in education spending in sub-Saharan Africa, but it is still failing many of its young people.
Basic education is compulsory and free in Ghana but many northern rural areas lack teachers, school buildings and other facilities. I thought about the children who were ill-prepared for the exams after spending their school life attending makeshift classes sitting under trees. And the children who arrive at school too hungry to concentrate; having slept the previous night with nothing but a drink of millet-flour water or possibly a breakfast of porridge. Many of these children have never seen a textbook or other material required for an effective education.
All of this makes me question how fair it is to assess these children by the same standards as those who have better facilities. These children’s opportunities are thwarted from the very start of their lives. This regional disparity is not confined to Ghana, in many other African countries quality basic education is assured for some but not all of the people.
In Sierra Leone and Ethiopia the few educational opportunities that exist are not evenly distributed, putting children from rural areas at a huge disadvantage. All children from rich household in Ethiopia had been to school while 43% from pastoralist households in rural regions had not, for example - and girls from the poorest families fare just as badly. If indeed Africa is rising, how is it rising for a child who does not even have an exercise book or lies on her stomach on the bare ground to learn?
Primary school enrollment in African countries is among the lowest in the world and disproportionately distributed. Forty-two million children in sub-Saharan Africa are out of school and children in rural areas are twice likely to be out of school. It is a situation that demands a change in attitudes and political will towards long-neglected regions and rural communities. This is not just a matter of justice and fairness but also about building sustained economic growth, which can only come with an educated, skilled workforce from all geographical locations.
The dry savannah of northern Ghana has seen little development and most people live in chronic poverty with few economic prospects. An improved education could give northern children better life opportunities, but to achieve this requires long term, coherent and systemic strategies by the government.
Poor school facilities are a problem throughout the north. Many children in rural areas attend classes under trees where they are also exposed to high temperatures, rainfall, and dust storms. As in many African countries, poor infrastructure has an impact on children’s attendance as well as their educational achievement. Improving the facilities doesn’t have to mean spending lots of money.
Rather than relying on capital-intensive construction methods, governments could work closely with local communities to develop and build schools using local materials such as clay, mud and straw. I lived in a thatched roofed, stone and mud dormitory whilst in secondary school in the mid-80s. The building is still housing girls in my old school, occasionally the thatch roof is changed. This practice can be replicated in many rural areas for children to get a better education.
Another important issue across rural Africa is that it is hard to attract skilled teachers to remote areas. In the north of Ghana for example, over 400 schools in the region have no qualified teachers. One way our governments could solve this problem is by encouraging retired teachers or civil servants, who have returned home to the area, to act as tutors and mentors so that even those children in the poorest areas have a chance at sharing in their country’s development successes.
Community participation models in rural education - where local community members are involved in and help to decide class supervision, school hours and seasons, as well as contribute to the housing of students and teachers - have worked well in some countries, whether organised by government or NGOs.
For example in parts of Ethiopia and Mali, as well as Ghana, the complementary schooling, Schools for Life and community schools are operating successfully because of their inherently decentralized approach and reliance on local initiatives, management, and decision-making.
This type of model, when it fits with the local context, can be highly successful and cost effective and governments must be encouraged to adopt more of them so that rural children might gain not just an education but also to also go on to have meaningful livelihoods.
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Many may dismiss investing in rural populations because rural populations are increasingly moving into urban areas. In 2014, 40% of Africa’s population lives in cities. Although urban growth is expected to increase to 56% by 2050, the continent will still remain one of the most rural in the world.
All of these reforms require political will and investment in the educational system across Africa. It also essential that we reform our public institutions and for the state to be even more accountable for the way public and donor money is managed. Thankfully Ghana does not have the deep regional and religious divides of other West African countries but, even so, we know that leaving young people with high unemployment and social disparities can sow the seeds of these social tensions.
If we are to make further economic progress then children, even from the poorest families, need to have the chance for social mobility. If Africa is rising, the children from rural communities must rise with it.
Nafi Chinery works for the African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) and is a 2014 Aspen New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Connect with her on Twitter (@nafichinery).
