The US has about 98,000 public schools serving some 50 million kids from pre-K to 12th grade. None of them have boarding facilities. Education is free. The average cost is about $11,600 per student per year.
There are just over 33,000 private schools serving some 5 million kids. Only 300 of them are boarding schools, charging anywhere from $15 – $65k a year.
In 2016, the percentage of high school students enrolling colleges was at about 69%. The graduation rate for public schools was about 85% and that for the private sector was around 98%.
With the right preparations, a predominant and cheaper day model of secondary schooling can be realized.
NOTE: I did not ask to abolish boarding schools but rather to make the day schools the predominant model of secondary schooling.
With that said, let’s look at 10 ways we could make that happen:
1. Every Ghanaian needs to be on board that free education at the primary and secondary levels should be free. Illiteracy is killing us.
2. Every kid from any Ghanaian family should be eligible for free education. This makes all invested in the program. A tax should be levied to pay for the program. It is well worth it and all efforts should be made to get all earning adults to pay this tax, even those in the secondary economy.
3. Each child shall be due a set amount of money per year for schooling. That money totally covers tuition, books, transport to and from school for a total distance of 40 km a day and two meals in a day school model. If the child goes to a boarding facility, the extra cost is borne by the parents.
4. Return all the old missions schools back to the missions that use to run them. Those churches can opt to keep them as boarding schools or make them day facilities. Also, allow private secondary schools and some boarding schools.
5. Divide each region into school districts. Each district gets a school, school buses and an after-school center that also houses a library.
One district, one day SHS
One district, one afterschool center
One district, one school bus
6. Kids go to school and return home strictly with the bus or are dropped off by their parents or a responsible adult.
7. Small villages and towns can be clustered together into a district and be served by one school. Several buses can transport students to and from school. Alternatively, a boarding school could serve the needs of such communities.
8. It is 2018. Education should go to the kids NOT the kids to education. Distance learning can supplement the kids’ education.
9. For kids at the risk of distractions due to child labor, consideration should be given to sending them to boarding facilities.
10. To those who say we cannot afford this, remember the famous saying, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance”. We have been trying ignorance for a while and I think we all can agree that it is pretty expensive.