is our hope that our children will have a better experience than we had nearly 30 years ago.
Our knowledge of child development, the need to ensure safety, consistency, warmth and appropriate boundaries for children in all circumstances and situations has further encouraged us to share our knowledge through this book.
Finally, the dearth of research and literature about child protection in Ghanaian boarding schools and the experiences of children in boarding schools in Ghana generally, reinforced our desire to contribute to knowledge in this area. The well-being of children who are educated in boarding provision across the country requires attention and significant reform.
We wish to acknowledge that there is a growing area of private and/ or international secondary schools, a few of which have boarding provision. Whilst they may already have child protection systems and processes in place and may not identify with the issues being addressed in this book, it remains crucial that a more balanced and equitable approach is taken by the relevant authorities to ensure good practice in child protection in boarding schools, regardless of whether these are public (government funded) schools or private schools.
In Ghana, according to Heyneman and Stern (2014), parents perceived private schools to be of higher quality than public/government-run schools. Parents cited an ongoing lack of commitment on the part of public school teachers, resulting in high levels of absenteeism as one of the main reasons for the preference of private schools. In addition, parents commented on overcrowded classrooms and poorer national examination results as discouraging them from considering public secondary schools for their children.
So, who is this book for?
This book has a multi-audience focus, in that it is recommended for a wide range of people and professionals – parents and carers, headteachers, teachers, tutors, policy makers, researchers and others interested in the well-being of children in temporary or permanent care outside the family environment.
This book is intended for anyone who is interested in understanding child protection in the Ghanaian context and more specifically within boarding school provision
We recognise the need for a resource that consolidates information which is relevant, contemporary and useful to the governing structures of boarding secondary schools in Ghana, with the hope that some of the ideas and concepts will generate debate and result in systemic changes.
The intention is to ensure that the messages contained in this book reach as many people as possible; consequently, it is written in a way that is accessible to a wide audience. From an academic perspective, this book is a product of a widely-researched and evaluated project, grounded in evidence through the use of secondary sources, references and citations. This makes it a useful resource for NGO’s, Government Departments, researchers and other people engaged in academic study who wish to cite this.
UNICEF, in conjunction with other NGOs undertook a pilot study when they recognised the need to develop a more African-specific conceptual framework for child protection systems work that includes non-formal systems, as well as to begin to build an evidence base on African experiences.
It is hoped that this book will go some way to ultimately provide national stakeholders with an even more critical view of their existing child protection systems in the context of boarding schools but also applicable more widely to other forms of ‘out of home’ 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
