Child Protection in Boarding Schools in Ghana. Prospera Dzang-Tedam
care.
It must also be stated that this is not an attempt to generalise the presence or lack of child protection systems in all boarding schools in Ghana. On the contrary, it is attempting to expose opportunities to develop these systems where they may be lacking. It may also be that some of the private boarding schools have integrated child protection frameworks in their schools and so this book should enable and encourage them to share good practice with the government-resourced boarding schools.
This book therefore provides some of the evidence required to build upon existing policies, and also an opportunity to understand the nature of child protection systems related specifically to boarding schools, and also identify opportunities and challenges to strengthen existing systems.
Structure of the Book
The book is divided into six main parts and comprises fifteen chapters, addressing a wide range of issues and dilemmas while making recommendations and proposing strategies for consideration. Throughout the book, case studies from the project have been used to facilitate understanding of the ways in which students at the project school utilised the services of the social worker. Reflective questions are located at various points in the book, allowing readers to pause, evaluate their learning and perhaps use the questions as discussion points between them and their colleagues. There are also learning checks at the end of each chapter.
Part One introduces the reader to the authors and their rationale for the book. Acknowledgements and a foreword also form part of this opening section.
Part Two - Setting the context comprises of chapters 1 to 6 which introduce the reader to the methodology and key concepts around childhood and education.
Part Three - Understanding boarding schools examines the historical context of boarding schools in Ghana and initiates the discussion about gender, poverty and links to child abuse. These discussions make up chapters 7 and 8.
Part Four specifically outlines child protection considerations in boarding schools and provides the background of the Sunflower project, the challenges associated with the project and the achievements. The role of the school social worker is analysed and a discussion about relevant theoretical frameworks undertaken. This is done from chapter 9 to 13.
In Part Five, a number of contemporary issues facing children and young people in boarding schools are outlined alongside the challenges and benefits of social workers in schools. This is done in chapters 14 and 15.
Part Six comprises of concluding comments and a recommendation for the need for future research on a larger scale about the protection needs of children in various government institutions in Ghana.
In the appendices, a checklist for Heads of schools and institutions who wish to improve the well-being of children in their care is provided as well as a sample child protection referral form. The 16 principles of education by Governor Guggisburg is also included.
PART TWO:Setting the Context
Chapter 1Introduction
Education is essential for everyone and it is the level of education that helps people earn respect, recognition and expand their world view. However, the general standard of education between men and women the world over is still a major challenge that needs to be addressed. There are disparities between boys’ and girls’ educational attainment at all levels, with girls reported to have lower enrolment, poorer retention and achievement rates than boys, especially as they progress to senior high schools and tertiary levels in many developing countries (MDG Report 2015). The importance of promoting female education for achieving sustainable development is now widely recognised and it is imperative that this is embraced by all.
According to the 2010 Population and Housing Census, females constitute more than fifty one percent of the entire Ghanaian population, therefore education should be a prerequisite for them to be able to significantly contribute to the development aspirations of Ghana. However, in their efforts to move higher to attain their ambitions they are faced with a wide range of challenges such as psychological, emotional, financial and social needs. These numerous challenges make them vulnerable, requiring additional levels of support, guidance and advice to motivate young girls achieve their potential (Unterhalter, 2013).
It has been the case that senior secondary education in Ghana is largely delivered through boarding provision for young people aged from about 15-18 years (although in many cases children can be younger or older). Boarding schools in Ghana come in a variety of forms and can be single gender or mixed genders; secular or faith-based; government or private; large, medium or small. They can also be in rural, urban or peri-urban (on the outskirts of an urban area) sites, requiring significant travel for many children and young people. This diversity makes it difficult to achieve any standardised or systematic approach to protecting and safeguarding children and young people in these situations. For example, a faith-based secondary school may include religious programmes in their curricula and extra-curricular timetable. They may also have different ways of disciplining children and of engaging with their families.
According to Ajayi (2013), there are approximately 700 secondary schools in Ghana, however not all offer boarding provision.
As a response to some of the above challenges, the authors came together to design and implement a project in a Girls Senior High School (a government-assisted school) following approval from the Ministry of Education and cooperation from the school management in 2014. The Sunflower Project was aimed at enhancing the attainment of girls through the provision of social work services in schools. This was the first of its kind in Ghana and yielded benefits for the girls in the project school. The project offered the services of an onsite qualified social worker who provided various forms of support to the girls such as: signposting, advice and guidance within the school. Areas of intervention included: online safety, protective behaviour work, negotiating financial support, home-school liaison, anti-bullying strategies and groupwork.
These areas of intervention and others will be discussed in depth later in the book. We will outline the development of the project from inception to implementation and examine the strengths of the project and challenges faced during the pilot phase. The aim will be to share cultural and other factors which were considered in the development of this project and to highlight key areas where culturally-relevant approaches to social work intervention were used. An examination of child protection and welfare from a Ghanaian perspective will be highlighted and good practice shared.
The authors argue in this book that social work has a place in secondary schools more generally and in boarding secondary schools in particular. To emphasise this point, we subscribe to the following definition of child protection recently used by the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection. It states that:
“Child Protection seeks to guarantee the right of all children to a life free from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect. The many actors engaged in child protection include children and youth, families, communities, government, civil society and private organisations.” (MoGCSP, 2014: iv).
Such a definition in our view commits staff and leadership at boarding secondary schools to actively promote and support the rights of children whilst ensuring abuse, in all its forms and in all areas of a child’s life is disrupted and eliminated.
