Human Rights and Public Basic Education In Ghana; The Case of the Rural Child in Akuapem South Municipality

Abstract

The right of the child to education is a human right which must be promoted. The child in the rural area has the right to education. In order to achieve this, not only must access at the basic level be granted but the quality must be a matter of concern. This right places legal duty on key stake-holders (state, educator and the parent/guardian) for its realization. Both international and domestic legal instruments guarantee this right and oblige these stake-holders. Even though the state has shown commitment by initiating programmes such as Capitation Grant; Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP) and Early Childhood Education (ECE), the quality of basic education received by the disadvantaged child in the rural area of Akuapem South Municipality remains terribly devastating. The child in the rural area of the municipality cannot speak good English and performs poorly in the Basic Education Certificate Examinations (BECE). The situation in this municipality is unique. Unlike other rural areas where this is attributed to unavailability of teachers, there are more teachers in Akuapem South Municipality. This means that the child in the rural area of the municipality does not enjoy his right to education to the fullest. The study attempts to identify the factors that militate against the rural child’s right to education by investigating if stake-holders have done enough to promote this right. The study selected schools with unsatisfactory learning outcomes at the BECE results. Sixty-three (63) pupils, forty-two (42) parents, forty-two (42) teachers, and twenty-one (21) headteachers whose views were solicited participated in the study. They were selected from twenty-one (21) public basic schools in twenty-one (21) communities. Three (3) pupils, two (2) teachers, one (1) headteacher and two (2) parents/guardians were selected from these schools and the communities respectively. Stratified sampling technique was used to draw respondents. Five research instruments were used to gather data. The study raises concern regarding the provision of school buildings and other physical infrastructure, textbooks and teachers; the punctuality, regularity and other acts of educators as well as the regularity and punctuality of pupils. The results show that though the stake-holders attempt to perform their obligations, they have not done enough. The study concludes that the full realisation of the rural child’s right to basic education would require the strict adherence to the provisions of the legal instruments that oblige the key stake-holders in this direction. In this manner, stakeholders would have given proper attention to the promotion of this right. It proposes the enforcement of the rules that oblige the key stake-holders by the appropriate authorities.