Policy Changes for Ghana?
Throughout my website, I have touched on policies in place right now that have been created with the best of intentions, but actually create unnecessary barriers to children seeking the education that their country is striving to grant them.
(1) The change that I think could make the biggest impact on children's ability to attend school is related to the uniform requirement for primary schools. This is a requirement mandated by the government, when they provide for all the other aspects of school for free. Though uniforms are very inexpensive in comparison to the U.S., costing around $25 for a full uniform that will last for a couple years, this is too high for many rural families who are subsistence farmers and have very minimal income. Though the government has recently begun a uniform handout program (as discussed in the "Policy" section of "Political Factors") there are reaching very few communities. If all children were allowed to attend school without the need of a uniform, there would be one less challenge facing parents when sending their children to school.
(2) The other change relates to the National Service program. While this program is a great way to help graduating students gain experience, as well as help under served communities with lesser resources, it creates a lot of inconsistencies in schools. It is especially frustrating that it is the case that many of these volunteers do not want to leave after a year, but that is when their stipend from the government ends, and the communities they serve in often cannot afford to keep the teachers on on their own. If Ghana's government were to allocate the money they are using for uniform distribution into a fund to extend the stipends available to National Service volunteers for an optional extra year, I think many people would benefit.
(1) The change that I think could make the biggest impact on children's ability to attend school is related to the uniform requirement for primary schools. This is a requirement mandated by the government, when they provide for all the other aspects of school for free. Though uniforms are very inexpensive in comparison to the U.S., costing around $25 for a full uniform that will last for a couple years, this is too high for many rural families who are subsistence farmers and have very minimal income. Though the government has recently begun a uniform handout program (as discussed in the "Policy" section of "Political Factors") there are reaching very few communities. If all children were allowed to attend school without the need of a uniform, there would be one less challenge facing parents when sending their children to school.
(2) The other change relates to the National Service program. While this program is a great way to help graduating students gain experience, as well as help under served communities with lesser resources, it creates a lot of inconsistencies in schools. It is especially frustrating that it is the case that many of these volunteers do not want to leave after a year, but that is when their stipend from the government ends, and the communities they serve in often cannot afford to keep the teachers on on their own. If Ghana's government were to allocate the money they are using for uniform distribution into a fund to extend the stipends available to National Service volunteers for an optional extra year, I think many people would benefit.