Educating the Ghanaian Child

By 7:30 am, Kojo Ayi Mensah, son of Naa Kailey Ameley and Emmanuel Tei Mensah popularly known and called ATM had finished his first round of hawking for the day in the locality even before school starts every day. It’s his first round because he would have to do that again after school. It’s a duty he has pledged to honor by default, as long as he remained the first child of the Mensahs. He has contributed his quota towards the raising of income to feed the family. He is almost used to it at age 12 and knows his terrain so well just like the vulture’s familiarity with the refuse dump.

He has three other siblings who did the house chores of sweeping the compound and their two bedroom apartment (chamber and hall) which also doubled as their living room and drawing water from their neighbor’s house which was just across their street where the Bensons lived. Mr. Benson was a qualified Accountant with one of the private export firms in the country and has a family of five; three children inclusive and they lived happily unlike the Mensahs.

The two families share a few things in common; they all feed just like any other human, live in the universe, precisely same neighborhood and a few others and that is where their similarities ended. They have different dispositions towards every other thing that matters; like their choice of Church, friends, social centres, schools, many other corresponding activities.

Right from the start, the children of Mr. Mensah have to help with the house chores, so they hardly have time to revise their books or even do any other academic related activities while the Bensons have ample time to relax in bed and wake up at anytime they deem appropriate as long as they are not late for their breakfast and more time after school to play video games and be tutored through extra classes. By 7:30am, they are ready to set off to school in their father’s car as he leaves for work.

Fast forwarded from their everyday routine and all the things that happened in-between time and the two families, it was now time for them to choose their preferred Schools and their respective courses they wanted to offer in their three year secondary school programmes. However, this usually does not come with much headache since they all know where and what they were due and their matching strengths. The Mensahs will choose courses like Home Economics, Visual Arts, Technical Skills and Vocational skills without hesitation while the Bensons opt for the Science biased courses, Business and General Arts for those who are reading inclined.

It’s rather the choosing of schools that poses a big problem. The Mensahs have their own categories of schools to choose from and it depends on whether they want an area school or a school that is a pride of a town. The myriad of area schools the Mensahs were disposed to are Modesco, Asteco, Tetech for Teshie technical, Mamprotech for Mamprobi Technical and Kateco for Kaneshie Technical College. These schools are usually preceded by the name of the area that makes you want to ask if there are annexes elsewhere. It reminds you of the cedi that is preceded by the name Ghana when we are the only users of the currency. These area schools are usually situated in the central business districts and have a population of about fifty and some figures short of two hundred, examples are like Harvard College, Cibusco, Snaps, Amasaman Sec Tech and Achibusco for Achimota business College.

The second category of schools the Mensahs were faced with were those that are prides of a town or a city. These schools are wider in coverage and outreach than the area schools which were usually owned by a group of individuals. The town schools are usually resourced than the former one since it served the whole area and its environs and some of these schools are Lartech for Larteh technical, Offinsco for Offinso Secondary school, Krogiss for Krobo girls, Asawasco for Asawase Sec. School, Bolga Boys and girls respectively, Nkosectech for Nkonya Sec Tech. Others are Ashiasec for Ashiaman Sec School, Sefwisco, Akatsico, and Kintamsco for Kintampo Sec. School, Agonasco for Agona sec Sch and Sogasco for Sogakope Sec Sch.

The others are Njuacoco for New Juaben Commercial College, Taviesco for Taviefe sec school, Nandomsco for Nandom Sec Sch, Odastech for Oda sec tech, Abusco for Abuakwa state college and Swesco for Swedru sec sch. Unfortunately, the one problem about most of these schools is that, no matter how good an individual is, general sections of the public think of them as not intellectually inclined even if you offered the Science biased courses, but it’s still a perception until backed by statistics.

Typical of the Bensons, they play by different rules so their choices of schools are not strictly limited by an area or a town. Their kind of schools are characterized  by high discipline and usually have a good public image in terms of academic excellence and in terms of producing high profiled leaders who takes part in the numerous decisions that are taken in the country. These schools unlike the one for the Mensahs have no convention for naming themselves. It’s either a name of an  illustrious son or a daughter of the Country or even beyond it, who has done a lot to change the course and way humanity thinks and have at least added something useful and productive to the struggle for freedom and usually are mission schools.

Some of these individuals are Opoku Ware, Yaa Asantewaa, St Monica’s, Mawuli and Prempeh. The ones that go beyond the Country are St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine’s, St. Peters, St. Louis, St. Roses, St. Mary’s, and Pope John’s.

Additionally, another group exists for the Bensons to choose from and this category has no known convention and they all seem to be unique as far as their names were concerned. Some are colleges, some are academies, or perceived as a family as evidence in Adisadel College, Accra Academy and Holy Child respectively. Some of the schools in this category were represented by a religious movement or influenced by their location such as OLA girls, Mfantsiman and Mfantsipim Sec Schools, Wesley High, Ketasco, Legon Presec.

The rest were Aburi Girls, Accra Girls, Kumasi High, Tema Sec Sch, KNUST Senior High School, Ghana National College, Aggrey Memorial A.M.E Zion Sec. Sch, Ghana Senior High Sch. and many more.

Having gone through admission and school already started, it was time for results to trickle in and they all passed according to their strengths. To whom much is given, much is expected and to whom less is given none is expected but the none usually find a way to rake in some results and head for the Tertiary Vocational and Commercial Schools where they offer their RSA’s, NVTI’s, Advanced Courses and acquisition of skills in woodwork and Culinary skills. The top notch finds their way to the numerous Polytechnics in the Country while all roads lead to the Public Universities for the Bensons.

 

The Bensons come out to occupy managerial positions often overriding their Mensah contemporaries as it usually have an influence in the kind of friends they have and environments they find themselves in. 

In Politics, the Bensons occupy the top hierarchy of the ruling circle. Some become Ministers, judges, lawyers, Parliamentarians while the Mensahs are limited to the Assembly men and women and at most MCE’s, probably because they have the technical brain and can manage the day-to-day affairs.

In Business, the Bensons become the top notch CEO’s, Bankers, Engineers, Pilots, Board Members, Sales Executives, Headhunters, lobbyists, Fundraisers, Journalists, The HR people, Research fellows, Aeronautics and Sailors while most of the Mensahs become the Architects, foremen, Technical and line Managers, Restaurateurs, Retail Officers among others.

In Health, the Bensons will comfortably become General Doctors, Dentists, Surgeons, Pharmacists, Opticians and Clinical Psychologists while the Mensahs grapple at the Lab. Technicians, drug sellers, Health Assistants, Unregistered Nurses and all the Emergency medical personnel and it permeates through all our societal endeavors.

Notwithstanding social classes, you realize that, the system has stratified the Bensons and the Mensahs from the beginning until the gap widens beyond filling. It manifests in their living conditions and other things since the super-structure is weak and the vicious cycle goes on while the Bensons enjoy immensely from old boys and old girls Association.

However, we don’t have to be limited by these schools or concepts because life bores down to how you make it. You have to go beyond these boundaries and add priceless value to yourself as you keep distinguishing yourself in small tasks that come your way because the Schools and its varied advantages does not necessarily make you outstanding or happy in life.

Lastly, the Government and its developmental partners must also ensure that these schools are conducive for learning; especially the ones for the Mensahs must be equipped with basic resources that can make learning a very wonderful experience.