Clothes Make the Student

School uniforms - I totally get it. There was a time when I didn't, but now I do. They really are a great leveler to hide some of the lines between "have nothing" and "have a little more". Because, let's face it, the "have a lots" don't attend the same schools. But the kids in our neighborhood wear the same 3-4 outfits week after week, all purchased from street hawkers of used apparel from the U.S. and U.K.

Much of the clothing donated to charities in the U.S., for instance, is not sold at the local thrift shop, but bundled up and sold by weight to wholesalers - like a grab bag. The proceeds are used for the charity to which the clothing was donated, but the clothes continue on their journey. Many of those clothes end up in woven plastic gunny sacks baled into tight cubes and packed into ocean containers. When these bales of clothes finally arrive at a market, like the one here in Koforidua, it can be a free-for-all to rummage through the grab bag and find the best stuff, bargaining for a price on each item.

Once purchased, these clothes are worn until they fall apart. In the villages, they gradually transition from dress-up to casual to filthy to only-for-the-farm. If there is anything left, they might end up as rags. Here in the city, the kids in our neighborhood are generally dressed in whatever was clean (maybe) regardless of condition. We regularly see holey t-shirts, often several sizes too big and hanging off one shoulder, knit sleepwear worn as dresses, flip flops with holes in the bottoms or no shoes at all, no shirts and stained shirts. In the villages, it may be nothing but underwear for most of the kids, including girls, most of time. But it all works. They don't care and no one else does either.

But, you know how kids can be. At school, these things can get in the way. Hence, the uniforms.

However, the trouble in Ghana, and one of the main reasons many children do not attend schools, is that the parents can't afford the fees, uniforms, and many of the books whose cost is passed along to the parents. To outfit a child for school, even public school, can cost 10 Ghana cedis or more - before books - but including shoes which are required for no other reason in this eternal summer. Ten cedis (about $8.00) may seem small to many readers, but for most Ghanaian families, it is a lot of money. Many children have to wait for one of the religious schools to provide a scholarship - and accept the religious education that comes with it.

So, the new government, elected in December has announced that 1.6 million needy children will be provided school uniforms. Further, the exercise books (workbooks) required for public school will be provided for all children in attendance. In a country with a population of 22 million people, 1.6 million is what? 7% of the total population - and probably 15% of the school-aged children. Not too shabby - and I don't mean the clothes!
XO