Scientific Publication

Gendered experiences of teaching in poor rural areas of Ghana

Abstract

This chapter reports on the findings of the Ghana Female Teacher Study, which investigated the needs of female teachers in six remote rural areas in northern, southern and middle Ghana. Within each of these zones, the two districts were selected that had the lowest percentages of female pupil enrolment rates in the country and the lowest proportion of female teachers working at basic education level. Female teachers constituted 14.3 per cent of Juabeso Bia and 15.5 per cent in Wassa Amenfi in the southern belt; 13.1 per cent in Kintampo and 10.6 per cent in Sene (10.6 per cent) in the middle belt; and 7.8 per cent in Tolon Kumbongo and 14.3 per cent in East Gonja in the northern belt of the country. The project explored the experiences of female teachers, the reasons why very few female teachers accept postings to these areas and why girls are not entering the teaching profession. Individual chapters in this book, including this one, can be accessed in full here