Precious Bonsu
Finland & UK trained learning expert and Founder of Wisdom and Intelligence Training (WIT), Precious Bonsu, has lamented the rise of classism in Ghana’s private education sector.
According to Ms. Bonsu, most private schools operating in the greater parts of Accra have built classist educational facilities making it difficult for the lower socioeconomic people to navigate. She added that students who fall under the lower class are discriminated against for having a less formal education due to lack of access to updated technology, textbooks and receive education that differ from upper-class schools with new resources.
“Classism has become a trend in our educational sector where some people of school-going age are classified as more important than others and it is as a result of the social class of the individual. For a child that goes to school at East Legon and that of Lapaz you will see a huge gap between the two which should not be the situation,” she said.
Ms. Bonsu further indicated that classism in education goes a long way toward determining the future of students, jobs, opportunities income, and so more. From how teachers perceive students to the funding that schools receive, the social class system shapes not only what students experience at school but also the education they receive.
Addressing issues of equity in the education system, Ms. Precious commended the government for its free SHS initiative, stating that the policy has widen the eligibility and success rate and educational opportunities with the aim of developing the individual to into a societal asset.
According to reports, the Free SHS initiative’s enrollment has reached more than 1.2 million students since the implementation of the government’s flagship education policy.
“There is a need for government to supply the needed social amenities to these schools to help bridge the classism faced in the sector. Shortage of infrastructure, delay in the supply of funds, food, and instructional materials should be addressed to bring about equity in our school system,” she added.
By Prince Fiifi Yorke