Dealing with difference: ethnicity and gender in the context of schooling in Ghana

Abstract

This paper is based on findings of a longitudinal study examining the broader systemic and structural processes of schooling for local youth in Ghana. Specifically, the paper examines how Ghanaian schools address the question of difference and diversity within the student population. Particular focus is on ethnicity and gender as sites of difference. The paper highlights educators and students’ experiences and understandings of ethnicity and gender as sites of difference and the implication for schooling and education. The discussion draws from individual interviews done with Ghanaian high school students and college educators during the research in the 2000–2001 and 2001–2002 academic years. The author teases out local perspectives on the importance and relevance of ethnicity, gender and social difference as they relate to schooling and educational experiences. It is argued that if inclusive schooling is to be taken seriously in the Ghanaian contexts, then educators and students must examine and respond to ways ethnicity, gender and other forms of social difference implicate the wider educational experience for youth.