Kwame Nkrumah Memorial School, Ghana

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial School, Ghana                copyright 2008 Focus Agency

Named after modern Ghana’s founder, Kwame Nkrumah Memorial School in Accra dedicates itself to improvement, but struggles with the demand. In one of three stories examining Ghana on its Fiftieth Anniversary of Independence, the principal, Peace Agbezuge, is forthright in her appraisal of the strengths and shortcomings of this neighborhood school.

Too many students are vying for too little public space in buildings suitable for classrooms, forcing the Accra New Town Primary School, for instance, to share time during the day with older students. Ghana’s government has done a good job in providing the basics, but the private sector needs to become more involved at the community level. There is no shortage, however, of qualified teachers and enthusiastic students, creating a good atmosphere for learning.

And this a place where I was welcomed, though no one knew me, and treated like an honored friend. During assignments I always try to visit a school, and this time I was lucky enough to land right in the middle of a parade - the kids couldn't march in the million-strong Independence ceremony the following day, so the teachers organized a march around the schoolyard and around the neighborhood, to my delight and their everlasting credit.

I hope you will have a chance to visit "Social Conditions in Accra," now up on this site and the first part of this series. An outline of all the Ghana stories is posted below. ___________________________________________________________________________

Ghana at Fifty Years of Independence
On an important anniversary for a proud people, a series with three parts: real life at street level, the outpouring of national pride on Independence Day, level, and a glimpse into Ghana’s future, education.

1. Social Conditions in Accra:  A view of the everyday: people in Kokomlemle, Jamestown, and Adabraka, three neighborhoods with a good deal of confidence, a lot of history, and a long way to go.

2. 50 Years of Independence:  Millions of Ghanaians descend upon Independence Square to share their joy and celebrate an African first.

3. Kwame Nkrumah Memorial School:  Named after modern Ghana’s founder, an Accra school dedicates itself to improvement, but struggles with the demand.

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Volta River Villages, Ghana  -  A look at daily life in Titikope, on the Volta River, and how traditional skills and hard work keep a community happy.

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Humanitarian Issues & Cultural Tradition Worldwide

ALL PHOTOGRAPHS AND TEXT COPYRIGHT JAY DUNN 2008

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