Ping and Education in Ghana
Context
The various programmes put in place by the Ghanaian authorities to make education accessible to all in Ghana have made it possible to increase the number of children enrolled in primary school to 4,584,381 in 2020 (UNESCO, 2021). However, these children face obstacles in their education such as poverty, early marriage and poor performance that force them to drop out of school. A UNICEF (2020) report on education in Ghana reveals that 526,500 children have dropped out of primary school.
Thus, the present initiative carried by the association “Ping Sans Frontières” uses table tennis to fight against school drop-out.
Objectives
- Keeping children in the education system and improving their school performance
- Preventing physical and psychological illness through table tennis
- Promote the development and integration of children into society through sport
- To improve the physical condition, well-being and self-confidence of children
- Reducing the ecological footprint and developing the local economy
- Reducing economic and social inequalities
Activities
- Tutoring in English and French
- Table tennis training sessions
- Organisation of inter-school competitions
- Construction of handmade tables to equip schools participating in the programme and to benefit from tables during inter-school competitions
Impact
- 440 children with low reading and mathematical skills will attend the programme, including 264 girls and 176 boys
- These children from vulnerable families will be in better mental and physical health
- The practice of table tennis will be a source of motivation for the children’s schooling
- Children will learn life skills and develop their cognitive abilities
- Workers building the tables will see their income increase