Ghana

Ghanaian's are a polite and open people. They live life at a relaxed pace. People are more important than schedules.

Because of pronounced differences between ethnic groups, greetings vary area to area. English greetings and hand-shakes are common. Indeed, a handshake is important when greeting most people. Before conversing, a greeting such as “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” is done. Most greetings are in the dominant local language and are followed by questions about one’s health, family welfare, journey, and so forth. Titles and family names are used to address new acquaintances. Friends and family members often use given names.

Being courteous is important. When yawning or using a toothpick, a person covers the mouth. It is impolite to gesture with the left hand. It may be considered improper by some, especially Muslims, to pass or receive items with the left hand. Either the right hand or both hands should be used. Among Muslims, and some other groups used to sitting on the floor, it is improper to allow the sole of ones foot to point at another person. Generally, feet are not placed on chairs, desks, or tables-especially those being used by another person. It is common and appropriate for friends of the same sex to hold hands while walking or speaking. It does not signify anything beyond friendship.

Friends and relatives frequently visit and typically do not need an appointment to do so. Ghananian's work hard to accommodate their guests. Visiting often occurs at a home. It is polite to at least take a small gift for the children. Some hosts prefer that their guests remove their shoes when entering the home. Guests are nearly always served drinks and often other refreshments. It is impolite to refuse these offers. Visiting is most popular on Sunday, and many people like to dress up for the occasion. When a visit is completed, guests are accompanied to a local bus, taxi or are given a ride home.

Ghanaian dress is modest, neat, and generally conservative. Casual dress is the rule for most occasions, although a suit and tie, or dress are required for more formal occasions. Shorts are not acceptable public attire. Western dress is normal in urban areas, but officials often wear traditional kente cloth robes on ceremonial occasions. Women usually wear a long wraparound skirt, a separate top, and a head scarf. This traditional attire can be very elaborate and colorful.

Popular foods are yams, cassava (a starchy root), rice, plantain and maize. Eating fish is most common due to it being low in cost . Popular dishes include fufu (a dough like combination of plantain and cassava), ampesi (a green vegetable dish ), and palm or peanut oil soups and sauces. Ghana also produces a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables to supplement the diet. In Africa, there are light soups and there are dark soups. Light soups are made with meat, fish, or poultry for the basic stock. The soups are thickened with white beans or else with melon seeds which are prepared in the same manner but are ground to a paste called Egusi.

A bowl of water is provided at the beginning of the meal, in which each person washes the hands. Food is formed into a ball with the right hand before being eaten. Water is also passed around at the end of the meal for diners to wash their hands.

The diet consists mainly of yams, cassava (a starchy root), maize, plantain, and rice. Ghanaians enjoy hot and spicy food and most of their meals are accompanied by a pepper sauce made with meat, fish, or chicken. Fish is most common due to cost . Popular dishes include fufu (a dough like combination of plantain and cassava), ampesi (a green vegetable dish ), and palm or peanut oil soups and sauces.

Ghana also produces a variety of tropical fruits and vegetables to supplement the diet. In Africa, there are light soups and there are dark soups. Light soups are made with meat, fish, or poultry for the basic stock. The soups are thickened with white beans or else with melon seeds which are prepared in the same manner but are ground to a paste called Egusi.

Family structures vary from one ethnic group to another. Some family groups have the chief responsibilities for the family with the women. Others have male-dominated structures. Polygamy (having more than one wife) is also practiced by some Ghanaian's. Respect for elderly family members is important and the elderly yield a great deal of influence on family decisions. Funerals are very important and last three days. For those people involved, everything else comes to a stop and all attention is directed toward funeral-related activities.

Many marriages are arranged by families, although the children have the right to reject the arrangement. Marriage in rural areas (less common in urban) may follow tradition, which permits a man to have more than one wife. Tradition calls for the groom to pay the brides family a "bridal token"; to indicate responsibility for the new bride.

The most popular sport is football (soccer). Basketball and tennis are the popular sports of the wealthy.

The life of a child in Ghana no matter which setting they live in urban or rural is very challenging. In the morning the child in an urban area must wake up very early: some wake up as early as 4 am in order to prepare for school. They have to get themselves ready very early in order to go through the heavy traffic that is characteristic of urban life in Ghana. Those children living in poor and deprived communities must help in looking for water for their families. There are other chores that are common for children both in urban and rural areas. This includes washing the dishes and looking for water either from the public tap or other sources. Most Ghanaian children don’t eat before going to school in the morning. They are given various sums of money to buy food at school. At school, the Ghanaian child may choose between foods like cooked rice, “kenkey” and fish, (kenkey is a local dish prepared from corn flour) and others depending on what are available in the locality. The average Ghanaian child goes to school by walking. In some cases, children have to walk over long distances, covering up to five kilometers or more to get to a school. In the urban areas, a good number of children join private commercial vehicles known locally as “trotro.” A few children from the emerging middle class and the upper class are lucky to be taken to school in their parents cars. There are some private schools that run their own transport system for parents who are willing to pay for it.

Most school buildings in Ghana are very old buildings; some of these buildings were constructed in the periods just after the country gain independence in 1957. There are a few that were constructed before independence. In some situations lessons are held in the open – under trees, and sheds constructed with palm branches. In the classroom, you are likely to find desks or tables and chairs supplied by the government or other NGOs. Textbooks and all other instructional material are also supplied by the government, but these are never adequate and will have to be managed in a way to make all children benefit from them. It is the duty of parents to provide writing material such as exercise books, pencils and pens. Only a few public schools in Ghana have a computer. Although, there are staffing problems, these are not as serious as the need for infrastructure and logistics. Most schools in Ghana are in need of textbooks, furniture, and above all computers which is fast taking over all aspects of life. The need for computers is very serious because the new educational policy has made IT a compulsory subject, but most schools don’t even have a broken down computer just for use as a specimen. There is a large percentage of teachers who do not have a PC and are not even able to use one.

Lessons or classes start at 8 a.m. and go until 2 p.m. The time is divided into instructional periods of 30 minutes for those in the lower primary and 35 minutes for those in the upper classes. There are usual two breaks during which children are allowed to buy food sold by women from the community. What most of the children eat at school can only be considered as breakfast. They will have to go home to eat lunch. On the average, a normal class is made up of about 40 children. This should be the national average because classes are very large in the urban areas – with some classes having more than 60 pupils. Lessons are mostly taught in local languages although English is supposed to be the main language of instruction in Ghana. This is because most children speak their local languages at home. English is taught as a subject in a transitional manner. It only becomes a medium of instruction in the upper levels of primary education. (this depends on whether the children are quick in acquiring enough vocabulary and skills to support the change). In the lower levels of primary education, the subjects taught are: English Language, Mathematics, Religious and Moral Education, Natural Science, Creative Art, Ghanaian Language and Culture, Information and Communication Technology and Physical Education. At the upper primary Natural Science is replace by Integrated Science and a new subject is added. This is Citizenship Education. At the Junior High School, Social Studies Replaces Citizenship Education, and Basic Design and Technology is studied instead of Creative Art. French is also taught at this level if the school has a French teacher. Entry into secondary school is very difficult in Ghana. The child must perform very well in the Basic Education Certificate Examination to be able to gain admission into secondary school. Not more than 30% of children who sit for the examination gain admission into secondary school. This is because there are not enough secondary schools to cater to the large number of candidates who sit for the examination each year. This makes admission very competitive. Due to inadequate logistics, most students don’t perform well in the Basic Education Certificate Examination. This also contributes to the low intake into secondary schools. Discipline is handled by the teachers in every school. The headmaster is the final authority in issues concerning discipline in a school. However, in serious cases, there are various administrative officials that help in resolving disciplinary issues. But, in most cases, disciplinary issues will end in the headmaster’s office as he enjoys enough respect and authority in the community. Teachers are allowed to handle minor disciplinary issue, but they have to consult the headmaster for direction especially in serious cases. Uniforms are very important for schools in Ghana. There are no schools in Ghana where children wear their own dresses. The uniforms are designed by the organization that has oversight responsibility over the school. Most of the schools are jointly owned by government and religious bodies. The uniform that is worn in a particular school shows the organization that owns the school. If a child goes to school without a uniform, he/she might be refused entry unless there is a tangible reason for not wearing one. At school children are supposed to greet all teachers in English; they could be punished if they do otherwise.

Most children in Ghana usually return home immediately after school. This is because they have to get home to eat lunch. They are also expected to help their parents in their work. It is only during the sports season that a few selected ones stay or return in the afternoon for practice and training. Only privileged children in the urban areas get the chance to take other lessons like playing musical instruments and other things associated with western lifestyle. The most common extra curricular activity in Ghana is sports and football(soccer) takes the major part of this. Athletics and other games do not enjoy much patronage in Ghanaian schools.

During weekends, Ghanaian children are expected to help their parents at home. In the rural areas, they must help on the farm or take care of younger ones in the absence of the parents. This is not considered as child labor because it also serves as a way of training into the traditional lifestyle of the community. Those children who will not make it to secondary school may have to take up their parent’s occupation. In the urban areas, some children help parents sell products in the markets. There are however some lucky ones who may get the chance to play with friend when they are not in school.

When a child gets back home after school, she/he eats lunch. After that they may rest a little and help in the preparation of the evening meal. Again, they must help look for water if there is no source of water in the home. After eating, they take their bath. Those who have homework do it. Where it is available, they watch TV for sometime and go to bed. Children usually go to be around 9 p.m. When a child gets home from school she/he is expected to greet the parents and any other adult around. Depending on the level of sophistication in the community, the greeting might be in English or in local language. But most people expect school children to greet in English to show that they are actually learning at school. The ability of the child to speak English correctly is seen as an indicator of how serious he/she is at school. The meal eaten in the evening depends on what is eaten locality. For example, people in the Akan areas and central Ghana will eat “fufu” a local dish prepared by pounding cassava and plantain, or yam served with soup. Those in the south-eastern parts will mostly eat “akple” or “banku” prepared from dough made with a mixture of corn flour and cassava also served with soup. Rice is also a very popular meal eaten in most Ghanaian homes.

Education plays various roles in the community and in the life of the individual. For example, it is not possible to learn a trade in Ghana unless you have received some level of basic education in Ghana. The respect accorded to an individual in the community is related to a large extent on his/her level of education. It is expected that educated people enjoy higher standards of living. Formal education plays a major role in teaching local values and customs into the lives of children. The community expects their schools to teach children local history, customs and traditions, and etiquettes. Apart from the preschool where some of the things taught are through music and dance, music plays a minor role in education in Ghana. However, children are taught songs; and on occasions like traditional festivals, they are encouraged to join in the celebration. Children are encouraged to play traditional musical instruments such as drums and xylophones.