Jamestown youth deserting school
A number of children of school age at Jamestown, a suburb of Accra, are gradually saying farewell to their classrooms.
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While some were having a good time swimming in the sea, others were mending fishing nets, chitchatting, playing football or just idling on a Thursday afternoon when their counterparts were in the classroom.
Elizabeth Lamptey, a seven-year-old Class One pupil, was found holding a black polythene bag and walking along the beach; she would stop at a point to look at those swimming and continue.
According to Elizabeth, her mother asked her to stay home and the polythene bag in her hand was an errand she was running for her mother.
“Yesterday too I did not go to school but my mother says I will go to school tomorrow,” she said innocently.
Elizabeth may have been absent from school involuntarily but the majority of people The Mirror interviewed revealed that they skipped school of their own volition.
Richard Akumani, 14, was found with some friends having a good swim in the sea.
Although Akumani speaks impeccable English, an indication he may be a brilliant student, he finds joy in other things other than school.
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He usually joins his friends to have fun at the beach or hang out at betting centres.
Just like Akumani, Sarah Boateng, who is 15 years old, does not fancy school and usually spends her time with peers who are also out of school.
According to her, when she got to Class Five, school was not exciting anymore so she decided to quit.
“I was always being whipped for virtually everything I did so I did not like school. I started skipping classes and eventually stopped going completely.
“Although my parents did not like the idea and always forced me to go to school, they came to terms with it as it became continually difficult for them to get me to stay in the classroom,” Sarah said.
She was spotted at the beach sitting on one of the canoes flipping through a Watchtower magazine.
One of the teachers at Noryaa Academy in Jamestown, Madam Charlotte Aryee, explained that most of the students who skipped school were influenced by their peers who were not in school. Although, some did not stop school entirely, most days, they were absent.
“Some of these students are very brilliant, and it is very sad to see them not taking education seriously,” Madam Aryee said sadly.