Children in northern Ghana are lucky. They go to school maximum about 2 hours a day and the rest is play time with their mates around the school. This conclusion is not the result of scientific research, yet my conclusion after some observations. Everywhere we went the schools ‘happened to be’ on break. Such a coincidence. We visited eight primary schools in very remote northern Ghana, close to the Burkina Faso border. In all of them, except for one, the kids were running around outside. The very few teachers that did show up that day were hanging on their motorbikes under a tree. Chilling out, not having the slightest intention to teach. All the head teacher but one were on sick leave. It must be a horrible job as they all fall ill within months after being appointed. Some class rooms had no furniture and the children were sitting on big stones or on the floor. Some of the small ones were sitting there all day. Waiting for the teachers to come. Or waiting for the school feeding programme to give them at least one meal a day. The food seemed in fact all they were there for.
It was the first time that I wished to work for the Ghanaian government instead of UNICEF. Indeed, I wished I were the the Minister of Education. Not only would everybody call me ‘ honourable Madame Swart’ then, but I could sack them all. Hire good and motivated teachers. Although with the 150 Euro they make per month that could be an illusion. It’s even hard to blame them for not doing anything. If I were the Minister I would want to shake up the parents and communities for them to demand for a good school. I would fire about all my staff at the ministry, region and district level. I would want to know where the one billion dollars that is spent yearly on education in Ghana has gone every year. But I'm not the minister. Lucky me. I'm just a bit worried sometimes that it doesn't look like anything ever seems to change here.
