Started work last Monday and really enjoyed my first week. There are under 10 members of permanent staff at the education NGO where I’m working, and also 3 Canadian volunteers through a different programme, and we all get on really well.
I spent my week immersed in reading on education in Ghana, understanding the context, issues and policy priorities. I found it all fascinating and am feeling really engaged by the work I’ll be doing here. Current issues at the moment are around capacity in schools to accommodate the new cohort of senior high school students as the senior high school curriculum has been switched from 3 years to 4 years and then reverted back to 3 years. Schools are struggling with the transition as this year they have students completing the 4 year programme and new students starting three year programmes, but a shortage of classroom facilities. There is also lots of effort to improve school buildings especially where there are schools under trees and separate toilets for boys and girls and a huge move to improve participation, especially for girls where the regional variations are most stark. There’s also a significant focus on inclusion, and building capacity for better provision for children with disabilities. I will be doing some policy analysis, leading on an inclusive education forum and helping to set up a Civil Society Education Fund that is all about devolution of power and getting more local ownership for education issues. We’re all in this together....!
canadian!!
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