Support for Awisa Schools

My last day in Ghana was a very full one, as my friend Dr. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa and his driver picked me up in Kumaski at 4:00 a.m. and drove to Accra, where Dr. Amankwa had some appointments with education bureacrats.  We then drove to his home village of Awisa, where he introduced me to the staff and teachers of three fine schools that I hope to find partners for back home before they then drove me back to the airport in Accra.  They then headed northward, into the warm night, for another five hour drive before they reached home about twenty-one hours after starting their day.

I first ran across Dr. Amankwa's work while researching Ghanaian education, as he has written excellent articles on such topics as the impact of textbook shortages and a lack of instruction in indigenous, local language on Ghana's students.  He recently became a dean at KNUST (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology).  Like many Ghanaian academics, in Ghana and abroad, Dr. Amankwa is interested in the practical application of his research.  So he spends much of his time not just teaching, researching, and admistering at the University, but also working to improve the quality of education in Ghana's schools, work that sometimes demands a 21-hour day.

In Awisa, once again I was deeply impressed by the dedication of Ghana's teachers and students.  I'm inspired by the example of academics such as Dr. Amankwa, and I know that the teachers and students back here, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States,  who get to know their counterparts in Ghana often feel the same way.  If you know a teacher who might be interested in working with these schools, please let me know.  We need each other.