One of the major differences between headteachers in Ghana and England is the lack of control they have over just about everything, including the recruitment of staff. The pay of headteachers is also not substantially different from that of classroom teachers. Indeed, I have been told they receive just GHc1 (43p) a month more. The role is more one of management - implementing policies decided by others and completing GES returns - rather than leadership.
As mentioned in my previous blog, students usually have to buy their own exercise books, but the District sometimes acquires some for distribution. As you can see from the list posted on the GES notice board, there are not enough to for every student to have one.
My VSO role is that of Head Teacher Support Officer, but Talensi-Nabdam does not yet have a Management Support Officer so I have been asked to provide some general management support to the GES staff as well. The Director at first suggested that I might like to work with the administration staff and look at their filing system as letters and other information apparently often goes missing. I suggested that this was not the best use of my skills – and those of you who work closely with me will know what I mean by this!
The areas I will be focusing on are:
• providing up to 5 headteachers with individualised support
• running two workshops for JHS headteachers on the aspects of leadership and management that they have identified as training priorities
• investigating the opportunities and challenges associated with linking Talensi-Nabdam schools with schools in MK/UK
• reviewing the District’s strategic planning for infrastructure development
During the week I also attended three meetings. One of these was a Senior Management Team meeting and for this we were joined by representatives from the two other TENI districts as Talensi-Nabdam was being held up as an example of good practice. I was told that the meeting was to be held at the Teachers’ Resource Centre at 9am. When I arrived there I was told after waiting 30 minutes that the meeting had moved to a nearby hotel! Information such as venue and start time is often overlooked.
The third meeting I went to was one for Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) working in the District and is a classic example of the flexible start time of meetings. So as not to have a similar problem to the one experienced earlier in the week, I checked with the person calling the meeting where it was to be held and at what time it was scheduled to start. I was told the meeting was scheduled for 9am so would probably start at 10am. I duly arrived at 9am just in case the meeting started on time – the meeting eventually began at 11.15am!
I am finding the notice below, which is on the entrance doors to the GES offices, increasingly ironic as I experience firsthand many Ghanaian’s approach to time keeping!
However, the delayed start proved to be quite fortuitous as it gave me an opportunity to discuss with the Director the possibility of using the Teachers’ Resource Centre as an ICT Centre. He explained that this was one of his ambitions and we discussed how such a centre would be run and the challenges of operating such a centre. The space itself has potential and I intend to explore the feasibility of setting up such a centre, because as explained in Week 2’s blog, ICT in schools throughout the District is virtually nonexistent. A centre would give students the opportunity to develop their skills and internet access would facilitate partnerships with schools in the UK.
The NGO meeting was real eye opener as to the problems the District faces in realising its strategic plans. It appears that nearly all NGOs come with their own agenda and the District either goes along with this or it does not get the support. In some cases there is even duplication as a result of a lack of NGO co-ordination – clearly not a good use of scarce resources. This is all the wrong way round. The District should set out its priorities and then NGOs should see how they can support with the District co-ordinating activities. It is obvious that overseas governments, including the British Government, are funding NGO initiatives to support getting more children into schools, especially girls, and promoting the empowerment of local communities, but it appears that no NGO or overseas government is addressing in any substantial way the infrastructure short comings which is hindering the delivery of high quality education fit for the 21st Century. More needs to be done to address this if the world community is to capitalise on the currently untapped human potential that undoubtedly exists.
On the domestic front, it is good to see the mangos growing on the trees in the garden. Hopefully they will be ripe enough to eat before I leave.
My weekend was enlivened by some monkey sitting! Monkey (that’s his name) is a green monkey. He is currently being looked after by a VSO volunteer, Anthony, and his wife who is a vet. Anthony is in a band and a fellow band member bought the monkey from a boy at the side of the road in Kumasi. The boy claimed that the monkey had been abandoned. I suspect this wasn’t the truth. In likelihood the baby monkey was taken after its mother was deliberately killed, or the monkey was forcefully taken. Whilst monkey is very cute and extremely tame and friendly, there is no escaping the fact that he would be much better off with his own kind in the forest. Monkeys are very social animals and need lots of company and attention. He loves being groomed and dislikes being left. When a human baby clings it is quite easy to loosen the grip of its two hands, but with a monkey you have to get it to let go with its hands, feet and tail!
Tired monkey!
The hope is that in the near future Monkey will be able to go to a sanctuary so he can have more appropriate playmates. If this doesn’t work out I may have to bring him back to England and co-opt him onto the Senior Team!
