Research Setting

4.3.1. Selecting the Research Site

As is clear from the discussion so far, this study was born out of a concern for the perceived inadequacies of international and national discourses and literature on the linkage between complementary education programmes and the formal school curriculum. It was with this in mind that the research setting had to be selected. Moreover, in addition to more pragmatic issues such as safety and the relative ease of obtaining research permission in Ghana, a number of other considerations influenced the choice of setting.

After careful sifting of the available choices, the Tolon Kumbungu District of the Northern Region of Ghana was finally settled upon. Tolon Kumbungu was one of the first districts to be created by the government of Ghana in 1988 as part of the decentralization process. With a current population of 249,691 and occupying some 2,741 square kilometres, it shares borders with West Mamprusi District to the north, West Gonja to the west, Savelugu Nanton to the south, and the regional capital of Tamale Metropolis to the east. The district has 226 communities, with its capital being Tolon, and Kumbungu the second capital.

64 There are 145 primary schools in Tolon Kumbungu District, 22 of which are in urban centres and 123 in the rural areas. Table 3.1 below gives school enrolment data for the district.

Table 4.1: Tolon Kumbungu School Enrolment Data (2007–2009)

Source: Tolon Kumbungu District Assembly.

Tolon Kumbungu was selected because it had been running CEP classes since 1999, it had been participating in SfL for over ten years, and the programme’s classes were still operational. During this time, SfL had enrolled over 1,000 learners a year in 154 communities (School for Life, 2010). Tolon Kumbungu therefore provided an excellent focal point from which to consider the issues that concerned this study, the district’s long and continuing association with SfL, and the situation in the formal education sector.

In order to answer the above research questions adequately, existing literature, studies, and other documentation on the implementation of the School for Life Complementary Education Programme were analysed in order to determine how it had been able to prepare learners for transition into the formal basic education sector. The documentary study includes an analysis of School for Life and primary school curricula and pedagogical materials, including respective syllabi, as well as the teaching and learning materials utilized in each system. The documentary analysis was complemented by primary field research in ten formal primary schools, which had enrolled School for Life graduates and two School for Life communities in Tolon Kumbungu District. In the ten primary schools, National Education Assessment test instruments were used to assess the performance of all Primary 4 and Primary 6 pupils. The former comprised those children who had just been transferred from SfL in the current academic year; while the latter consisted of SfL graduates who had subsequently progressed through the formal education system.

School-age Children Enrolled Children Out-of-school Children

Male Female Total Male Female Total Male Female Total

2007 15,211 14,553 29,764 12,712 9,431 22,143 2,499 5,122 7,621

2008 15,621 14,946 30,567 14,466 11,153 25,619 1,455 3,793 5,248

65 Two out of the ten school communities that were also SfL beneficiaries were selected for lesson observation, and interviews and discussions with various stakeholders, including pupils, teachers, facilitators, parents and village leaders. Selection of two communities enables exploring the possibility of comparing their respective experiences. However, as they were seen to have virtually identical characteristics, inclusion of such a comparison in the analysis would have obscured the typicality of the contexts under investigation. Nevertheless, it was possible to observe both education systems in operation in these two communities, and also interview various actors associated with SfL and government-run schools.

The two school communities selected for in-depth study were Gbulahagu and Woribogu Kukuo. With an estimated population of 533 (319 females and 214 males) distributed in 64 households, the small rural settlement of Gbulahagu is situated on the main Tamale–Tolon road, 4 miles from Tolon, the district capital, and 12 Miles from Tamale, the regional capital. A larger semi-rural community in the heart of the district, Woribogu Kukuo, has an estimated population of 2,000 distributed in 215 households, and is located 11 miles from Tolon and 12 miles from Tamale. Farming is the main economic activity, both communities growing cereals and yams, and rearing livestock.

Gbulahagu and Woribogu Kukuo both have well-constructed primary schools, which were established in 1984 and 1993 respectively; they have also hosted SfL for ten and eight years respectively. These two communities were selected for the present study due to such long association with the Complementary Education Programme, being regarded as having accumulated the requisite experience to achieve the perspectives necessary for addressing the research questions.

The study examined the implementation of the SfL curriculum and compared it with the manner in which that of the formal school was delivered. The investigation also entailed discussions with SfL learners and those graduates who had proceeded to formal school, in order to gain an understanding of the experience and knowledge acquired on the SfL course, and how this was of help to them as formal school pupils.

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4.3.2. Access to Research Sites and Participants

A formal letter was written to the Ghanaian education authorities to seek permission to involve selected GES officials and school communities in Tolon Kumbungu District in the study. In accordance with research ethics, this clearly spelt out the conditions under which the study would be conducted and the benefits therein for the GES. It also clarified the purpose of the study, and the fact that the researcher was a Ghanaian national and student of the University of Sussex, UK; that the project was being conducted under the auspices of University authorities; and that it would constitute the basis of a thesis to be submitted in consideration for the award of a doctorate.

Following receipt of formal approval from the Ghanaian education authorities, letters seeking permission to conduct the study indicating my credentials; the purpose of the undertaking; and its date, time, place and issues to be covered were despatched to SfL and the Tolon Kumbungu District Director of Education (see Appendix 11 for samples of the letter of approval and that seeking permission).

Again, upon reaching Ghana to undertake the fieldwork, I obtained a formal letter of introduction from the GES Director of Basic Schools to be sent to the various participants, enclosing an introductory letter from my supervisor at Sussex. This added weight to the study, and aided access to participants and interviewees, since I was studying abroad and did not personally know the majority of them. The District Director also wrote a covering letter acknowledging and approving the study, and appointed a circuit supervisor as the person responsible for ensuring that all schools, communities and participants were informed of the study.

4.3.3. Data Collection Phases

Data were collected during two separate field visits:

Phase 1: The first visit of ten weeks (May–August 2010) was used to gain an initial understanding of the setting and what was happening on the ground. Using Accra and Tamale as bases, I made weekly trips to various communities in Tolon Kumbungu District. These were supported by SfL, who helped provide access to school communities. This phase of the project was used to observe CEP classes and talk to various actors, including GES and SfL staff. The first visit was also used to refine NEA testing materials, and sharpen research focus

67 and tools. Finally, in Phase 1, I collected all the relevant documents, and teaching and learning materials that comprised both CEP and formal school curricula.

Phase 2: The second visit of four months (March–June 2011) focused on more in-depth follow-up interviews with the various actors involved. Such interviews were conducted with children (both in and out of school), formal school teachers, SfL facilitators, and the local management committees that were involved in supporting Complementary Education Programmes. I conducted these interviews myself with the aid of a research assistant, who acted as my interpreter and helped in gaining a better understanding of the issues discussed. This visit was also used to observe both Complementary Education Programme and formal school lessons, and to conduct the testing of formal school pupils. Finally, Phase 2 helped to clarify the accuracy of the data collected in Phase 1.