In Ghana, when we talk about education, we often focus on exam scores, infrastructure, and teacher quality.
But there’s a conversation we’re not having, the growing stress children face just to stay in school and learn.
For many pupils across the country, especially in the public basic schools, education is not just a journey of knowledge but a daily test of endurance, anxiety, and silent suffering.
Struggles children go through
Imagine a child waking up at 4:30 a.m., not to revise notes or enjoy a warm breakfast but to help their parents hawk foodstuffs or sachet water before school.
To go to class, some people walk several kilometres—sometimes barefoot—across muddy pathways or streams.
For access to school, which many of us take for granted, children in some communities must risk their safety by crossing rivers in canoes or over unsafe wooden bridges.
Moreover, the reality of children studying in homes without electricity is present. In locations where light is a luxury, students are required to either squint under candles or kerosene lamps or choose not to study at all.
At times, a majority of teachers express dissatisfaction about students arriving in class late or being unable to complete their homework.
Emotional stress
But what if we paused to consider what kind of family environment these students are coming from?
Many students experience emotional distress due to family instability, particularly divorce or separation.
A child who watched his or her parents arguing all night, or wept uncontrollably in the corner, is not likely to concentrate on fractions or spelling drills the next morning.
Others are emotionally impacted by being compared to siblings or ridiculed by peers because of their background or class performance.
The school environment, while not a secure and nurturing place, can also be another reason for fear.
Some children are afraid of being beaten for having poor results from exams or being publicly scolded for forgetting to do their homework.
Teachers, often overburdened and undertrained in handling psychosocial issues, may not even realise the long-lasting effects of this.
Homework
Considering the heavy workload of homework, which often involves multiple assignments in different subjects each day, it's not worth considering the heavy workload of homework, which often involves multiple assignments in different subjects each day, it's not worth considering how long the child has already worked at home or helped in the market.
Friends' teasing, particularly when a child arrives in school dirty, in tattered clothes, or for performing poorly, intensifies the trauma.
This is not to say education in Ghana is failing, but rather, we are missing a lot!
Stress in childhood, if unchecked, affects children's learning, emotional development and school performance, which impacts negatively and leads to childhood stress.
Why? Yet this issue remains undiscussed.
Root causes of stress
This crisis cannot be ignored.
We must address the root causes of stress to produce resilient leaders.
Schools should adopt trauma-sensitive approaches, recognising that a child’s behaviour may stem from deeper struggles.
Teachers can establish supportive classrooms that prioritise mistakes as part of learning rather than punishing failures.
Ghana’s children face immense stress, such as hunger, long journeys, abuse, and academic pressure, yet their mental health is overlooked.
Trained counsellors
While government efforts such as Free SHS and counselling programmes help, more must be done.
Schools need trained counsellors, trauma-sensitive teachers, and safer environments.
Parents and communities must listen, advocate and support.
We demand urgent action, nourish minds with school meals, enforce child protection laws, and invest in mental health.
Education should inspire joy, not fear.
The future depends on it.
Government, teachers, and parents, act now.
Every child deserves to learn without suffering.
The time to ease their burden is today.
