Grace
Grace is currently a primary school teacher in the Saboba District. She recalls how she had earlier failed her WASSCE (West Africa Senior Secondary Certificate Examination) exams on two separate occasions, leaving her despondent because she could not progress to acquire a tertiary education. In 2009, she responded to an invitation by the ACE (Alliance for Change in Education) Project to apply as a community teacher. Following a successful interview, she was recruited and assigned to teach as a community teacher at the Binkolnaloli Wing School. While teaching at that school, “the project registered me to re-sit the WASSCE … [and] organised weekend classes for us.”
Grace passed the exam this time and, once again, with ACE’s support, “was enrolled at the Bagabaga College of Education to pursue the Untrained Teachers’ Diploma in Basic Education and completed with a Third Class in 2014.” The following year, the project closed. However, “through the support of the Member of Parliament, I got employment with the Ghana Education Service as a teacher.” She was assigned to teach at Nangunkpang Primary School in Gushegu District. After three years at this post, she requested a transfer to join her husband in Saboba.
Looking back, Grace says:
“My life has never been the same. Now, [I] am … able to educate [my three kids] because I have salary. I am also now a professional teacher … [which would] have [been] … impossible for me … to get to this level … especially as a girl. She is now able to support her mother and siblings when they are broke. Unlike many married women in Ghana, Grace reports that “I also support my husband to take care of the family [and] do not rely on him for basic things all the time. I buy clothing for my children…”.
She is also able to cater for her younger sister, who stays with her to attend school. She is grateful that “ACE… turned things round for her.”
The invitation and training provided by the Wing School project empowered Grace to attain a teacher’s degree, a feat which can be difficult for girls and women due to costs, gender discrimination and gender norms. Grace is now a professional teacher due to the opportunities for professional development and better conditions of service offered by the Wing School. The Wing School Project’s training of educators not only enabled Grace to support her own family and be financially independent, it also positions Grace as a role model for the girls. Grace’s female students now have a positive female role model, which increases the girls’ chances of completing their education and unlocking better opportunities for themselves in the future. The learner-centred pedagogy and gender responsive training of teachers in the wing school initiative transform educators into frontrunners of gender transformative education.
For more information, please consult:
The Wing School: A compilation of stories
The Wing School: Process Guide.