Perspectives on community-school relations: a study of two schools in Ghana

In 1987, the Government of Ghana embarked on a process to decentralise education management to districts throughout the country as part of a programme of wider social and democratic governance reforms. A vital element of this reform was the prescription of active community participation in the affairs of schools within their localities. The establishment of school management committees (SMCs) was to create a new school governance landscape based on community participation, as well as devolution of power to the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. In this regard, considerable attention has been focused on central government‟s understanding of how this devolution of authority to communities and schools should work and how communities should assume responsibility for increased participation in schools. From the inception of this policy over two decades ago, there seems to have been no feedback through research findings or diagnostic policy reviews on how this new role of the community has been received, interpreted and executed in its engagement with schools, particularly in the rural poor and underserved areas. Mindful of this, this study sought to explore the multiple understandings of how community and school relations work, as well as the challenges and pressures which influence community – school relationships. The study employed the qualitative methods of interview and documentary analysis to collect data on the understanding and experiences of community – school relations from SMCs and PTAs; other members of the community; the school; and education management. The findings suggest that many of the theoretical and policy expectations about representation and participation in school improvement through the SMC and PTA concept are only evident in form and not in practice. Furthermore, in poor rural contexts, it is often the comparatively better educated and influential members of the community, including informal groups who become the new brokers of decision-making, and who through their actions close spaces for the genuine representation and participation of others. In some cases, SMCs seldom work as the de facto representatives of the community, as decisions are made and critical interactions occur outside this formal structure for community representation and engagement in school governance. This affects the visibility of SMCs and undermines their credibility and capacity to play their intended role. Moreover, the degree of community participation in schools appears to be shaped by the school fulfilling community expectations of schooling and on a „social contract‟ based on the principle of reciprocity. These findings support the view that the fate of schools is increasingly tied to and powerfully shaped by key players at the local level, and that this happens through more informal and traditional roles which are more trusted but not necessarily representative of the image presented by policy on community participation in school governance. The findings also highlight the threat to voluntarism, a key assumption of the policy on community participation and the importance of seeking ways in which schools can play a more active role as change agents in the community, thereby legitimising in the community‟s eyes their importance in the life of the community

A portrait of Oxford Street, Accra’s most globalised high street – part 3

This is the third in a series of guest posts from Ato Quayson, Professor of English and the Director of the Centre for Diaspora and Transnational Studies at the University of Toronto. In this post, he examines the theatre which adorns Accra’s Oxford Street

Entrepreneurship and Job Creation for Sustainable Development in Ghana: The Role of Government as an Arbiter in Shaping the Institutional Environment

Studies indicate that 80% of jobs in Ghana are in the informal sector, while entrepreneurs create the majority of these informal jobs. Studies further affirm that Small Medium Enterprise entrepreneurs make up about 94% of Ghana’s industrial sector. Past and current governments view the entrepreneur as the solution to weak economic performance and job creation. What remains a challenge though is a better understanding of the factors that determine entrepreneurship and the environment that motivates and supports the growth of entrepreneurs. This paper argues that knowledge of the primary catalyst for entrepreneurship is essential for understanding the microeconomic foundations that will lead to growth in the Ghanaian economy. The paper concludes that fostering the private sector and entrepreneurship depends on a supportive business environment, which makes it not only important, but also urgent for regular revision of incentives and policies that are likely to attract genuine entrepreneurs and businessmen and women. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurs, Job creation, Institutional environment, Private sector

The Challenge of Fee-Free Secondary Education and Educational Access in Ghana: A Reflection on the Past, Realities and Feasible Choices

In 2001, the Government of Ghana introduced subsidies at the Senior High School meant to reduce the burden on parents and guardians of wards in such schools. Since 2012, there has been an intensive debate on fee-free senior high school education in Ghana. While some see this as preposterous and unimaginable, others consider it as a poverty alleviation option and a panacea to providing the required cadre of youths with skills needed for the economic development of Ghana. This paper considers the feasibility of how such a policy may improve access to senior high school education in Ghana and be sustained. The paper examines some policies and practices on funding secondary education in Ghana Findings suggest that a uniform fee-free policy approach will include a sizeable number of students who do not need to be supported by government in the secondary schooling. The study further finds out that demand for secondary education, particularly, regarding low income families may not always be dependent solely on fee free secondary education but on other cost variables, including opportunity costs and perceived economic returns from such education. The study concludes with some feasible choices on the need to adopt painstaking approaches to identify those who are needy and a fundamental objective for such policies to benefit the poor. Keywords: Universalization of secondary education, policies and practices, pro-poor targeting, secondary education financing

Transition regimes and security sector reforms in Sierra Leone and Liberia

Why are some countries more successful at carrying out post-conflict reconstruction programmes than others? Why has Sierra Leone been more successful in the reform of its armed forces than Liberia has after the end of the Mano River Basin wars? This paper argues that the diverging outcomes are explained by the extent to which post-conflict regimes reflected the distribution of power on the ground in the two countries. Sierra Leone's transition regime reflected the distribution of power between forces on the ground and led to a consultative process that resulted in a moderate reform programme. But the earlier input of key local actors made implementation less difficult. In Liberia the transition regime was built on a repudiation of local power realities. This led to a non-consultative process that resulted in a very radical reform programme. But this lack of consultation has severely compromised the implementation of the reforms

The Making of Dangerous Communities: The "Peul-Fouta" in Ebola-Weary Senegal

Epidemics of contagious diseases often motivate the social constitution of "dangerous communities." These communities are defined as having a high potential to further spread the diseases involved to a wider public. Migrant communities' links with sick people in places of origin that are badly affected by such diseases ostensibly justify the construction of these communities as epidemic dangers to their places of residence. But this depiction of certain groups as health threats is always grounded in other long-standing narratives about the populations targeted. Such narratives often portray those targeted as radically different from the wider body politic and stigmatise them in multiple ways. The situation of the Peul of Guinean origin in Senegal at the height of the Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Mano River Basin sheds light on these processes of sociogenesis and their implications for epidemic control and prevention.Um Epidemien einzudämmen, werden vielfach einzelne soziale Gruppen als "Risikogruppe" definiert. Ihnen wird ein hohes Gefährdungspotential zugeschrieben, zur weiteren Verbreitung der Infektion in der Bevölkerung beizutragen. Potentielle Kontakte von Migranten zu Erkrankten in ihrer Herkunftsregion, die von der Infektion stark betroffen ist, scheinen deren Bewertung als Infektionsrisiko für die Bevölkerung am Wohnort zu rechtfertigen. Doch der Definition sozialer Gruppen als Gesundheitsrisiko liegen immer andere, schon lange existierende Narrative über die betreffende Bevölkerungsgruppe zugrunde. In diesen Narrativen unterscheiden sich die Mitglieder der Gruppe erheblich von der Gesellschaft insgesamt und werden in vielfältiger Weise stigmatisiert. Die Lage der aus Guinea stammenden Peul im Senegal auf dem Höhepunkt des Ebola-Ausbruchs im Mano River Basin wirft ein Licht auf solche soziogenetischen Prozesse und ihre Implikationen für die Kontrolle und Prävention von Epidemien

The Effect of Performance Assessment-Driven Instruction on the Attitude and Achievement of Senior High School Students in Mathematics in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

The study was a quasi-experimental research project conducted to investigate the effect of performance assessment-driven instructions on the attitude and achievement in mathematics of senior high school students in Ghana at Ghana National College in Cape Coast. Two Form 1 science classes were used for the study and were assigned as experimental and control groups. These two classes were randomly chosen for the study. The experimental group consisted of forty-two students and control group forty students. Data was collected through the use of an open ended test in mathematics and a questionnaire on students’ attitudes to mathematics. The questionnaire contained 15 Likert-type questions. The independent samples t-test was used to find the differences between the groups. The experimental group differed significantly on the post-test scores from the control group. This study identified that PA-driven instruction improved students’ problem-solving abilities and increased student confidence in doing mathematics because they felt more competent in working mathematical problems. The study also explored students’ attitude to mathematics through the use of a Likert-type questionnaire. The findings showed that students’ attitudes toward mathematics were generally positive. It is recommended that Ghana Education Service should organise in-service training for mathematics teachers on the use of PA-driven instructions and mathematics teachers should also integrate performance assessment-based tasks in their students’ exercises. Keywords: Performance assessment, Attitud

Foreign direct investment strategies and performance of foreign subsidiaries in Ghana

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The Grave Preferences of Mourides in Senegal: Migration, Belonging, and Rootedness

Burial in cemeteries created by and on the orders of Cheikh Amadou Bamba, the founder of the Mouride Sufi order in Senegal, is said to guarantee passage to paradise. While many Mourides, understandably, prefer to have their corpses transported for burial in these cemeteries, others opt to be interred elsewhere. Focusing on the commune of Joal-Fadiouth in Senegal, I argue that the choices of Mourides concerning place of burial are influenced by histories of migration in the commune and the processes through which people develop ties to the area. In explaining Mourides' divergent preferences, the paper sheds light on broader questions of identity and rootedness, evolving conceptions of "place of origin" - as well as illuminating interactions between the religious and non-religious spheres in the lives of many Africans. I draw mainly on ethnographic research in the Thies and Diourbel Regions of Senegal.Die Bestattung auf Friedhöfen, die von Cheikh Amadou Bamba, dem Gründer der Mouriden Sufi-Bruderschaft im Senegal, angelegt wurden, soll den Weg ins Paradies gewährleisten. Während viele Mouriden es daher vorziehen, ihre Leichen für die Bestattung auf diese Friedhöfe transportieren zu lassen, entscheiden sich andere für eine Beerdigung anderswo. Am Beispiel der Gemeinde Joal-Fadiouth im Senegal argumentiert der Artikel, dass die Entscheidungen der Mouriden hinsichtlich ihres Bestattungsortes von Migrationsgeschichten in der Gemeinde und den aufgebauten Beziehungen zu dem Gebiet beeinflusst werden. Um die unterschiedlichen Vorlieben der Mouriden zu erläutern, beleuchtet der Artikel weitergehende Fragen nach Identität und Verwurzelung sowie sich entwickelnden Vorstellungen des "Herkunftsorts" - und betrachtet die Wechselwirkungen zwischen den religiösen und nicht religiösen Bereichen im Leben vieler Afrikaner. Der Artikel beruht vor allem auf ethnographischer Forschung in den Regionen Thies und Diourbel im Senegal

The Effect of Performance Assessment-Driven Instruction on the Attitude and Achievement of Senior High School Students in Mathematics in Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana

The study was a quasi-experimental research project conducted to investigate the effect of performance assessment-driven instructions on the attitude and achievement in mathematics of senior high school students in Ghana at Ghana National College in Cape Coast. Two Form 1 science classes were used for the study and were assigned as experimental and control groups. These two classes were randomly chosen for the study. The experimental group consisted of forty-two students and control group forty students. Data was collected through the use of an open ended test in mathematics and a questionnaire on students’ attitudes to mathematics. The questionnaire contained 15 Likert-type questions. The independent samples t-test was used to find the differences between the groups. The experimental group differed significantly on the post-test scores from the control group. This study identified that PA-driven instruction improved students’ problem-solving abilities and increased student confidence in doing mathematics because they felt more competent in working mathematical problems.The study also explored students’ attitude to mathematics through the use of a Likert-type questionnaire. The findings showed that students’ attitudes toward mathematics were generally positive. It is recommended that Ghana Education Service should organise in-service training for mathematics teachers on the use of PA-driven instructions and mathematics teachers should also integrate performance assessment-based tasks in their students’ exercises. Keywords: Performance assessment, Attitud