Gifty Mensah is a graduate teacher
The introduction of free high school education in Ghana means all children will now be ready to take the country forward. You no longer need money for an education. You just need a desire to learn and then you can get to where you need to go in life.
My mother did not have the same opportunities as me. Free education is really helping girls in Ghana. Gone are the days when parents would only send their sons to school because they couldn’t afford to send their daughters too. The perception was always that boys will do better.
But now we are showing what girls are made of. At college, we have a lot of women achievers in STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths – who tell us about their achievements. They explain how maths and science have improved their learning, which I found really inspiring.
When I entered the college of education, I told my brother I wanted to specialise and teach maths. He said that even men have problems learning maths and that I should choose a ‘more feminine subject’, one I could easily pass. But, I ignored his advice and followed my passion to specialise in maths.
Now, my confidence has grown. During my final year in off-campus teaching practice, I began teaching science and maths to final-year junior high school students, helping them to learn for their graduation exams. My dream is to take my maths and science to a higher level, so that I will not only learn more about it, but also inspire girls who believe maths is a pathway for men only.
In my spare time, I want to engage in community service to help the less privileged in my area and organise classes for people who have difficulty studying maths. This time I’ll be the role model. I’ll say: If I can do it, then you can too.
I believe that a lot of problems that people encounter in later life start in the classroom. As a teacher, I can help children get the very best start.
To see how Gifty plans to inspire students, click here
Helena Akato is a second-year student teacher
My final exam results in maths and science at high school were abysmal. I didn’t do as well as I know I could have done. Classes were often boring. We would sit in rows and only speak when asked.
The teacher filled us up with knowledge from a book and we poured it out in the exam paper, and then it was gone forever. I never really understood what I was learning.
That started to change when I went to college. We were taught maths and science in a more interactive and practical way. Suddenly, I found I was able to help other students when they got stuck.
I now want to motivate other girls who might need that support and help demystify what’s going on in the classroom. We’re being taught to put children at the centre of the learning experience. This could mean giving a small group a problem and getting them to come up with the solution. The teacher only intervenes when they are really stuck, but they can usually work it out for themselves.
Before, young teachers were sent into the classroom without this practical experience. We now learn how to teach drama and rhyming stories. We work on our voice projection. Colleges of education are now starting to run four-year university courses, with students getting a proper degree at the end. Teaching is now a much more prestigious choice than before.
My dream is to help other children, especially girls, to overcome challenges similar to those I faced at school when it came to studying maths and science. I can provide guidance in the classroom and also help with teaching and the development of learning materials.
Sometimes, to reach your potential, you need to first conquer your fear.