Two Schools
on VSO in Ghana (Ghana), 23/Jan/2010 23:00, 34 days ago
The dry season continues with a vengeance. There are more frequent grass and forest fires, which means lots of ash in the air, to add to the dust from the Sahara.The positive side of the dry season is that temperatures are much cooler. We still find it hot during the day, but some Ghanaians are wearing woolly hats and keep commenting on the cold! At night it really is cool and we occasionally need a blanket on the bed. On some mornings, one of us boils a kettle of water to add to our bucket showers. It is noticeable that there are clearly more hungry people about. We sometimes get asked for food or water, and this didn’t happen at all last term.Another feature of our lives is that we are increasingly becoming medical experts in the eyes of local people. They are coming to us for various forms of advice about medical conditions that are bothering them. For example, last weekend we were approached in the market by a group of women who were concerned about their friend with toothache. We cycled home and got some treatment from our medical kit to give to her. On our next visit to the market, we were treated like members of the family - and given extra vegetables.Two people have stopped us in the street as they were concerned that their doctor had told them that they had "brain trouble", and their "neurones were not working properly". They both asked,“what does this mean?” A short conversation about balanced diet and healthy eating seemed to calm them down. We think they may both have been students, very anxious about passing their next set of examinations.The lives of our neighbours and colleagues (and hence our activities) are currently revolving around football and the Africa Cup. Everyone was really shocked about the assassination of members of the Togo squad. They were devastated when Cote D’Ivoire beat Ghana last week. There was elation in the air when Ghana beat Burkina Faso on Tuesday night - so Wednesday was a good day for us to get loads of co-operation and support for what we wanted to do! Next week’s activities will depend on the outcome of today’s (Sunday) match against Angola. Even Linda is learning to have football conversations.We continue to work closely with a number of schools. The following is about 2 of them.Wa Methodist School for the Blind.This school was originally established by Methodist missionaries and it is one of only 2 schools for the blind in Ghana; the other school is in the South of the country. All students are resident at the school and their ages range from 3 to 19 years. Some of the teachers are also blind. The terrible thing is that in many cases, blindness has been caused by a range of preventable diseases such as measles.The teachers also live on the school site and many of them keep goats, which wander around the school throughout the dayEach school day begins with“inspection”. The students line up outside and they are checked to ensure that they have washed and dressed properly. Then there is the whole school assembly, which is always conducted by the students themselves.Students follow a similar curriculum to other primary and secondary schools, with a greater emphasis on the development of practical and vocational skills. As a special school, it is well supported by a range of international charities. For example, a Dutch charity organisation has built a fantastic computer lab, which enables students to use talking books and carry out a range of other activities. All resources and exam papers have to be translated into Braille. The students below are going over their marked exam papers, reading the teachers comments.These students are producing essays in braille. During our work with the school, we have managed to learn a few letters and a few numbers in Braille.Students are incredibly supportive of each other, always helping others to move around the school site.At mid-morning there is a break, when all students are given“porridge” to eat. Again, students take responsibility by organising the hall, serving the food etc.Lunch is cooked on the school premises by the women below. They are making a traditional Ghanaian food called kenkey. This is a dough made from ground corn, which is wrapped in banana leaves and cooked. It is served with an okra stew.We have been working closely with 4 teachers. One of these is Priscilla, a newly qualified teacher, with considerable potential. She is really keen to learn and improve, and to take risks by trying out new strategies. The students really love her. Unfortunately for the education service, she wants to eventually be a TV presenter– on the BBC if possible!Amadyiia Junior Secondary SchoolThis is an Islamic School, taking students from a range of different religions and backgrounds. Like most schools in Ghana, the day starts with an assembly - prayers, followed by singing the national anthem and reciting the Ghanaian pledge.Then, to the beating of drums, students march to their classrooms, singing one of their school songs.Like all secondary schools, the students study: English, maths, science, IT, social studies, technical studies, Dagaare (a local language) and PE. There is no electricity in the school and IT has to be taught and examined. When we had our first meeting with all the teachers, they asked if we could show them a computer, so that they could see and feel one at first hand, in order to explain IT better to the students. Students learn IT from the blackboard and textbooks. We took our 2 laptops into the school, each with an hour’s supply of battery, so that the teachers could take it in turns to try out the keyboard and open a couple of programmes.Linda has been working closely with Faustina, an excellent social studies teacher. Teachers who have very young children take them along to school and the staff take turns in looking after them during the day. Faustina has 3 children, and the picture shows her with her youngest child, Bonga.We have established very good relationships with a number of the students at this school. These students are always keen to talk with us about a wide range of issues. They are knowledgeable, ambitious and committed to studying hard. Each student in the picture below aims to be a doctor, teacher or lawyer. However, only a small proportion of students at junior secondary schools gain entry to senior high schools. In addition to achieving sufficient marks in the entry examinations, school fees have to be paid. (Education is only free until the end of junior high school)