July 29, 2016 - In a brief ceremony at Ashesi’s Norton Motulsky Hall, the inaugural cohort of the Teach for Ghana fellowship program marked the end of their six-week training program. In all 33 fellows were selected out of a pool of over 1000 applicants for the fellowship program which will see the fellows working in schools in the Volta Region to teach, provide guidance, leadership and mentorship to junior high school students.
In 2015, Teach for Ghana became a Teach for All partner, joining a global network of organizations dedicated to expanding educational opportunities in the countries within which they operate. Around the globe, fellows of partner organizations spend two years in underprivileged communities providing guidance, mentorship and leadership in their roles as teachers. Beginning September 2016, Teach for Ghana’s pioneering cohort will also spend two years serving rural communities in Ghana's Volta Region teaching Math, Science, Information Technology and English to junior high school students. Ahead of this, fellows underwent a six-week training program to equip them with skills needed to get this done.
Photo Credit: Teach for Ghana
The training program was held at Ashesi where fellows were equipped with skills in pedagogy, classroom management, classroom culture, how to engage with children, and acting as leaders in the classroom. As part of the program, they visited junior high schools in Berekuso, Ketaase, Agymenti and Ayim where they worked with teachers and students. The workshop also hosted speakers including the Second Lady of Ghana, Her Excellence Matilda Amissah Arthur who spoke on the value of teaching in underserved environments.
“If each of us would give back to our communities, we would have a better Ghana,” she said to the fellows on her visit. “It takes a willing person to sign up for this. Being willing and ready to face the odds is a good sign for our country. Once the children you will teach are given the push and encouragement, you will unearth potentials which were not visible initially.”
In the closing ceremony for the workshop, Teach for Ghana CEO, Daniel Dotse, touched on providing quality education to all. “If we can work hard to provide great education to every child in this country, we can move this country forward in many ways,” he said. ”This country belongs to us. What we want to see of this country is what we need to make of this country - no one is going to do it for us. So if we can get off our feet, roll up our sleeves and get to work, the next couple of years could be different, and the younger ones will have a better future. See the fellowship as an opportunity to shine, an opportunity to give a chance to somebody else and finally an opportunity to rewrite the history of this country.”