Protest Makes Results: Experiences of Private Schools in Ghana

• In Event: Protest, the Digital and Social Change

Proposal

Education remains a strategic livewire to achieving global, regional and national development goals and priorities. The provision of education, especially basic and secondary typologies, has contributed to transformative efforts in several developed economies. Although education provision remains the sole responsibility of the government, it has become evident that government alone is not able to meet the demand and supply dynamics. For instance, the achievement of Millennium Development Goal 2, the strides toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 and gains made in the free compulsory universal basic education policy would be incomplete minus the role of private schools. However, private schools have not enjoyed the same amount of regard as their counterparts in public schools oftentimes. The fact that private schools are self or privately founded means their vulnerability to shocks and distress is higher making their examination a matter of research and policy priority.

Historically, the human capital and elite class of present Ghana have a sizeable proportion of persons with private school backgrounds. The enviable National Science and Mathematics Quiz has a history of several past participants with private schooling backgrounds making any study about this cohort education service provider crucial. Regardless of these known contributions of private schools to the overall human and technical resource capital much remains as obvious gaps. The education system in Ghana has shown disregard for private schools' role in the education discourses across the country thereby making their teaching and learning scholarships, which are more often than not, first-rate elusive endeavours. Sadly, despite the committed financial, managerial and thought leadership that private schools have exhibited over time, including among low-cost private schools, there remain marginalization and unfair treatment of the private education service providers. The current situation makes the role of private education services providers a critical one in the total supply of education in Ghana. This paper recognises the expanded role of education as an agency for changing the economic, social, cultural and environmental fortunes of countries - especially the role of foundational education service providers in economic advancement.

The paper draws on event systems and chaos theories to reflect on three real operational challenges that private schools in Ghana have suffered and the three unique forms of protest that have anchored their present changing narrative. The presentation will commence with the nature and enormity of challenges private schools have been faced with. Second, it will examine mainstream and unorthodox actors who led the protest are next recounted alongside what modus operandi they used. Third, the result of the protest and contentions are next featured. Fourth, concluding thoughts after careful reflection on the experiences are recounted are provided before drawing on valuable lessons the reflection paper uses to report its argument. The paper concludes with sets of recommendations to deal with future challenge management issues and reflect forward options for education actors from minority orientations.

Authors

• Might Kojo Abreh, IEPA, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST, GHANA

• Marie Afua Baah Bakah, IEPA, UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST, GHANA

• Francis Ansah, University of Cape Coast

• Clara Araba Mills, University 0f Cape Coast