Learning English

For young people in Ghana, in West Africa, it's not easy to learn the necessary skills for work and life. The school system has many problems: the quality of teaching is variable, and sometimes teachers don’t come to work at all.

It's particularly difficult for Ghanaian girls to get a good education. Normally, they're expected to leave school when they are young, and get married.  

A new education project, called Making Ghanaian Girls Great, is trying to improve girls' education, by offering extra lessons in English and maths.

The project provides lessons on television, from a studio in Accra. Teachers in the studio can talk to pupils in their classrooms, and the project also offers after-school lessons - called Wonder Women lessons - designed to increase girls' confidence. In these lessons, girls can ask questions about health, education or careers - and they can also talk to role models.

The project was launched by Nana Ogyedon Tsetsewah, a local leader in central Ghana. Nana says that young people in Ghana are frustrated, and they don't want to work as farmers any more.

Head teacher Vanderwell Augustt Gordor welcomes the extra lessons. It's a much more active style of learning, he says, and the pupils like joining in.

Ghana has invested in education, in order to increase national income. "Education is the key to development," said Anthony Klopka, a local politician. But until now, he says, girls' education has not received enough attention.

Because of projects like Making Ghanaian Girls Great, perhaps this situation is starting to change.