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Dr Prospera Dzang-Tedam and Mrs Elsie Gaisie-Ahiabu, Co-authors of the book, autographing copies for guests. Picture: Maxwell Ocloo
Dr Prospera Dzang-Tedam and Mrs Elsie Gaisie-Ahiabu, Co-authors of the book, autographing copies for guests. Picture: Maxwell Ocloo

Monitor students in boarding educational facilities — Authors

Authors of the book, Child Protection in Ghana: Contemporary Issues, Challenges and Opportunities, are advocating closer supervision and monitoring of children in boarding educational facilities.

The co-authors of the book, Prospera Dzang-Tedam and Elsie Gaisie-Ahiabu, began that campaign yesterday when they launched their book in Accra.

The book, published this year, delves into the welfare of children in boarding schools, using the experiences of children in one of the public boarding schools in the country as an indication of similar situations across Ghana.

Method

One of the authors took two years to study the phenomenon of the supervision and the monitoring of students, as well as their welfare in the school.

A trained social worker was attached to the school to counsel and respond to the queries and enquiries of students.

The social worker also followed up with the children in their homes on other issues, when the need arose.

The interviews and interactions between the students and the social worker, as well as the way and manner of their lives in the boarding facilities, were carefully documented and became the basis of the book.

Challenges

One of the authors of the book, Ms Dzang-Tedam, detailed some of the challenges faced by young children at boarding facilities.

Among the various challenges were their exposure to “sakawa” and bedbugs. The care of disabled children in boarding facilities was also a challenge.

Ms Dzang-Tedam, therefore, implored all Ghanaians to share their experiences of boarding school life, which was the norm in the country, and compare that to what pertained now across the country.

Child protection

The co-author, Ms Gaisie-Ahiabu, in her submissions, said after gaining clearance from the Ministry of Education, they set to work in documenting experiences.

She said to protect the students, they had not used their names or that of the school.

She also strongly advocated child protection in public boarding facilities, as students were vulnerable to various challenges.

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Fully engaged

The Resident Director of University Studies Abroad Consortium, Mr Abagail M. Thompson, sold the first copy of the book for GH¢1000 and the second for GH¢500.

A lecturer of the Department of Communication Studies of the University of Ghana, Legon, Prof. Audrey Gadzekpo, emphasised the importance of a communication and publication strategy of the message of the book.

The chairperson of the launch, the Dean of International Programmes at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ama de-Graft Aikins, said children were in harsher environments now with the advent of social media.

She said child protection was not only necessary for homeless children or orphans, but needful in boarding facilities where sometimes school administrators were powerless to do much when faced with overpopulated schools.

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