Schools

Primary education is compulsory in Ghana. The language of instruction is English, though local languages such as Twi, Ga and Fante are of course taught in the language itself. Uniforms are obligatory for all pupils and differ from school to school. Though government-owned schools do not require school fees, they do demand students to pay for their learning materials as well as uniforms. As this is hard to afford for many parents, not all children receive education. In addition to government schools, numerous private schools have sprung up in Ghana, often offering a higher educational standard than their public counterparts in exchange for school fees. Teachers (especially in primary school and JSS) are usually young (between 19 and 30) and are often waiting to go into university.

OCEP offers voluntary jobs in four types of schools:
- Kindergarten (K.G.): 3-6 years of age
- Primary: 6-12 years old pupils
- Junior Secondary School (J.S.S.): 12-16 year olds
- Senior Secondary School (S.S.S): 15-20 year old pupils

Description
Visiting a number of schools in the Assin District to give seminars about reproductive health, puberty, teenage pregnancy and HIV/AIDS. This project is run in conjunction with The National Service and National Health in Assin Foso.
The schools included are Junior Secondary School, children between the age of 12 and 16 years old, and Senior Secondary School, children between 16 and 20 years old. The children at these schools are in the midst of puberty and need to learn about the changes they are going through. Although Ghana still has a low percentage of HIV/AIDS victims, it is a must to teach the children about HIV/AIDS and other risks of having sex.

Time of year
This project can run throughout the entire school year, except during the summer (July-August) when the children will not be in school.

Place
Assin District, Central Region

Rural/Urban
Rural

Maximum number of volunteers
Because you will meet a great number of children (boys and girls) you should be with 2 volunteers (or more) and preferably of both sexes.

Volunteer job description
Setting up your own programme, visiting the schools and giving seminars to a large number of students. You can put a lot of your own ideas into the talk as long as the children benefit from it. Do be careful because of big cultural differences! Note: previous volunteers have written down their experiences. This document is in the possession of OCEP. If you are placed on this project, you will be given these notes to help you build upon what has already been done.

Requirements for volunteers
Some knowledge on reproductive issues and to be very open minded!

Accommodation description
Volunteers will be staying in or around Assin Foso, in housing especially build for volunteers. There is no running water, but the housing has electricity. You will also have means to cook for yourself and there is a well to get water for washing etc. nearby.

Accommodation cost
50 EUR a month.

Meals
You will be able to cook for yourself or buy food on the street or in restaurants.

Assin SSS

Description
From a primarily agriculturally oriented history, this school changed its curriculum to other areas in 1998. It now has 3 sections: agric (which remains the predominant section), business and accounting. The school has 12 teachers and a total student population of 250 (school year 2004), but 400 students are expected for the coming school year. There are also a number of sport teams connected to the school, which include: a football team (with a good football pitch to Ghanaian standards), a table tennis team and an athletics team. The school also boasts a small, but relatively well-stocked library, with mainly science books. Various foreign volunteers have already worked at this school. Assin SSS is a great place if you are a university student in the third year or above and like to teach your subject at an advanced level on a school in a rural area.

Time of year
20 January till 15 April 2007; 10 May till 11 August 2007. The following school year will have similar dates.

Place
Assin district, Central Region.

Rural/urban
Rural

Max. Number of volunteers
6

Volunteer job description
Volunteers will teach the following subjects, depending on their interest and knowledge: mathematics, physics, chemistry, accounting, economics and English (only for native English speakers). Moreover volunteers who could additionally train the football team (which is registered for the lowest division of the official league), athletics (with 25 students), volleyball or table tennis team would be more than welcome.
School times are from 7h30 to 9h05, 9h30 to 12h, 12h30 to 14h and 14h30 to 15h40.

Requirements for volunteers
University graduates or undergraduates in the relevant subjects.

Accommodation description
Volunteers have 2 options here:
- There is a house belonging to the school, which is used to host guests and National Service people. It is situated in a closed compound at the roadside a few minutes' walk from the school. Volunteers would have their own room here. There is no electricity here, but the school could provide a generator. Water is fetched from a borehole right next to the house.
- There is the nice, newly renovated house belonging to a District Assembly-member at one minutes' walk from the school. The owner sometimes comes there at weekends, but there will always be some people there to look after the house. Volunteers would normally have their own room here. There is modern sanitation and running water and electricity.

Accommodation cost
50 EUR a month

Meals
In both accommodation cases it is possible either to cook yourself (the necessary tools will be at your disposal) or to let someone cook for you at cost of 4 EUR a day for 3 meals. Options in between should be negotiated there.

GNAT/BUPL Early childhood care and development project

Description
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) and the Danish National Federation of Early Childhood Teachers and Youth Educators (BUPL) have set up a program to increase the quality of early childhood education. They have started in 4 regions mainly by giving workshops. In these workshops caregivers can meat each other and exchange ideas. Also, the staff will provoke discussion on hygiene, child psychology and professionalizing a daycare center. The central region, with its office at Assin Fosu, is coordinated by a young and passionate former-teacher. His vision and endurance are vital to the organization.

Place
Assin North district, Central Region.

Rural/urban
Rural

Volunteer job description
The project offers two types of jobs.
The first one focuses on the organisation itself. The volunteer will take up the task of arranging the workshops, joining the coordinator in his many visits to daycare centers in the region. Also, time will be spent at the office for general organisational work. Applicants need to bear in mind that the project is very young and needs flexible, open minded people to strengthen its position in the region. A background in economics, education or management is preferred. Experience has shown this work to be very rewarding, since the volunteer really can make a difference in the relatively new field.

The second job type is to work as a teacher in an early childhood education centre. For this a background in psychology, pediatrics or any other relevant field is preferred. Teaching mainly consists of basic social and vocational skills.

Accomodation description
The accommodation will be private, quite decent and close by the office. For work at a daycare centers, transport information will be provided, but is usually very cheap.

Accommodation cost
50 EUR a month

Meals
The project is situated in OCEP’s home town so be prepared to eat regularly at known families. Otherwise, food is available cheaply in restaurants or on the street.

Newtown Experimental School

The school is an annex to the bigger Newtown school in Assin Foso (see below). This school has been set up so that children from neighbouring villages won’t have to make their way to Assin Foso. The school is served with kindergarten (KG) and classes 1 to 5. It is a small school with around 100 children. There are 7 teachers working at the school. The school is becoming increasingly popular. In a while the amount of children will increase more because three more classrooms are built. Newtown experimental school is therefore a good place if you like to teach young kids in a small peaceful village.

Time of Year
Middle of September till middle of December, beginning of January till the beginning of Easter and from the end of Easter till the beginning of August

Place
Assin district, Central region

Rural/Urban
Rural

Max. number of volunteers
2

Volunteer job description
Teaching children between 3 and 6 years. The spoken language is English. Because of the young age teaching will be counting, alphabet, and creativities.
When your interest is more in class 1 to 5 the opportunity to teach in these classes is there. The main courses then will be English, French and Mathematics. Teaching in Newtown International School in Assin Foso is also possible. This depends on the presence of other volunteers, and can be discussed when you are in Ghana.

Requirement for volunteers
A flexible, open, patient and enterprising attitude.

Accommodation
There is a volunteer house in Assin Juaso with three bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. You will have your own bedroom and share the living room and the kitchen and bathroom with other volunteers. The village has electricity, though blackouts do occur. Running water is not yet available. The house is a three minute walk from the school.

Accommodation cost
50 euro a month

Meals
-Self-cooking in the kitchen
-School provides lunch for the children, so volunteers can eat together with them.

Chrisfotec School and Orphanage

Chrisfotec was founded by Mr. Kwabena Boateng on 21st May 1996 after he became concerned about the number of children living in the village who were not attending the government school during the day. The school has a student population of about 300 with 150 of them being orphans. The teaching staff consists of 18 with 3 non-teaching staff.

The school is divided into three sections, the nursery and kindergarten classes, six primary school classes and three junior secondary school classes, with children aging from 2 years to 16 years. Since August 2005, the school has received several volunteer teachers from Europe and USA.  Volunteers work both independently and alongside existing teachers.

There is a boarding house in the school grounds.  Many of the children who live here are orphans, as well as children whose family homes are far away from the school.  Although Chrisfotec is a private school, many of the children receive a free education and fee payment occurs only when families are able to help support their child’s education.

Mr Boateng farms two plots of land in order to produce enough food to feed the children, especially the orphans and those who stay in the boarding house. He farms maize and cocoa, and many of the children in the secondary school help him with the farm before and after school.  Despite all his hard work the school still struggles to survive financially, and occasionally the children are all sent home for a holiday when things get really tight.

Time of year
Anytime

Place
The school is located about 15km from Kumasi.

Rural/Urban
Rural

Volunteer job description
The actual work you will do depends on your interest. Possibilities are:
- Teaching Mathematics, English or Computer Skills
- Teaching individual reading and writing classes to those having problems
- Helping out in the nursery
- Administrative tasks to help mr. Boateng
- Playing with the kids from the neighbourhood and teaching them by example how  to swim.


Accommodation description
There is accommodation on-site for volunteers. The quarters is located next to the host family.
- Own room and bathroom
- Running water and electricity
- Swimming pool
- There is space for 5 volunteers in the residence

Accommodation & meals cost
The accommodation charge is 60 EUR per month, feeding during weekdays is 80 EUR per months. Volunteers will be asked to pay OCEP this amount (140 EUR/month) for the duration of their entire stay upon arrival in Ghana.

Kama School

Kama school is a small private school and is in development. Recently, the school changed building. Around 150 students in classes up to primary 4 are at the school. The school's mission is to provide well educated people. Because of the moving some classrooms are still empty. The school has its own farm, where they teach the children some farming.

Time of year
Middle of September till middle of December, beginning of January till the beginning of April and from the middle of May till the beginning of August

Place
Assin North district, Central region

Rural/Urban
Rural

Max number of volunteers
2

Volunteer job description
Volunteers can teach all courses in all the classes. So it depends on the volunteer’s knowledge and interest. Even the farming can be a part (when interested) of the volunteer’s job.

Accommodation
There is a nice house nearby the school. Volunteers will have their own room. There is electricity, but no running water. The living room, kitchen, toilet and bathroom will be shared with local people living in the house.

Cost of accommodation
50 EUR a month

Meals
The volunteer have different options:
- Cook their own meals
- To go out for dinner (nearest place to eat at restaurants will be in Assin Foso).
- Eat with the people around and with the teachers of the school
For costs you can think of 3 meals for 4 euro a day.

Assin Newtown International School

Newtown International School is the most popular private school in the district, covering K.G., Primary and J.S.S. education. The school started very modestly, but progressed fast due to the determination, diligence and enthusiasm of the proprietor. It currently educates 900 students and has 19 staff members. It has set up a subsidiary in the neighbouring town, called Newtown Experimental School, which is also one of our projects. Newtown International School is a good school for people who would like to teach at a good school in a small town. The principal and teachers are ambitious, and for years, the school has been ranked one of the top schools in the district.

Time of year
Middle of September till middle of December; From the beginning of January till the beginning of Easter; From the end of Easter till the beginning of August.

Place
Assin district, Central Region

Rural/urban
Rural

Max. number of volunteers:
4

Volunteer job description
Volunteers can choose to work on one or more of the following:
- Give extra teaching in English or mathematics to the somewhat weaker pupils;
- Help in the development of the school’s computing curriculum;
- Lobby for extra books and materials.

Requirements for volunteers
A flexible, open and enterprising attitude.

Accommodation description
There is a volunteer house in Assin Juaso with three bedrooms, a kitchen and a bathroom. You will have your own bedroom and share the living room and the kitchen and bathroom with other volunteers. The  village has electricity, though blackouts do occur. Running water is not yet available. The house is a few minutes by taxi from the school (cost: euro 0.20 per trip).

Accommodation cost
50 EUR a month.

Meals
-Self-cooking in the kitchen
-School provides lunch for the children, so volunteers can eat together with them.

Teacher Adam memorial school

Description
This school is situated in a poorer suburb of Accra. It was registered with the Ghana education service in 1998 and it has a kindergarten, primary and lower secondary school. One quarter of the 260 pupils is sponsored because their parents cannot afford school fees. Another quarter of pupils is partly sponsored. The staff consists of 16 people, including three university graduates. The main challenges the school faces are the quality of the building and a lack of adequate library and computer facilities. There is always a number of National Service people posted here. Teacher Adam Memorial is therefore a good place if you would like to teach at a decent school and prefer to stay in Accra.

Time of year
Middle of September till middle of December; From the beginning of January till the beginning of Easter; From the end of Easter till the beginning of August.

Place
Accra.

Rural/urban
Urban

Max number of volunteers
4

Volunteer job description
Volunteers can opt between two types of jobs:
- Work with the toddlers in the KG. This means playing with them, teaching them things like the alphabet, poems, songs etc. Volunteers would also help feeding the children, which often implies literally putting food in their mouths. (max. 2 volunteers)
- Teaching English, arithmetic and/or French in the upper primary classes (classes 4, 5 and 6). (max. 2 volunteers)

Requirements for volunteers
Volunteers should have an open and enterprising spirit.
For teaching in the KG: it is an asset if you are specially trained to teach nursery children.

Accommodation description
Volunteers will be housed in two houses of the school proprietor right next to the school. Depending on the number of volunteers on this project, you should be prepared to share a room with another volunteer of the same sex (except for couples). In both cases volunteers will have a bedroom with a fan as well as a small living room with a fan for themselves. Both houses also have a proper shower and toilet with running water and electricity. There is also a kitchen which volunteers could use, to be shared with other people however.

Accommodation cost
60 EUR a month

Meals
Volunteers could either have 3 prepared meals a day at a cost of 4 EUR a day or prepare their own meals. Options in between both are also possible and should be negotiated once there.

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