Whose voices are being heard? Mechanisms for community participation in education in northern Ghana

Abstract

This article reports on a study of community participation in School for Life, a complementary education programme operating in northern Ghana. The researchers investigated three components of community participation: the nature of the mechanisms used to engage community members as participants in the education process; the actors who engage as participants in education; and the factors that enhance or inhibit an individual’s involvement. They found that this programme uses five approaches that work together to make it a viable mechanism to engage communities, and that community members are engaged at various levels, depending on each person’s previous exposure to education. Moreover, regardless of the level at which members participate, doing so empowers the individual and the community.