{"id":102682,"date":"2025-11-10T13:46:42","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T13:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102682"},"modified":"2025-11-10T13:46:42","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T13:46:42","slug":"risking-their-lives-for-education-the-dangerous-dawn-journeys-of-accras-school-children","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=102682","title":{"rendered":"Risking their lives for education: The dangerous dawn journeys of Accra\u2019s school children"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>2 Minute, 15 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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Every morning, long before sunrise, children in Takoradi and other parts of Ghana step into the darkness to begin their long walk to school. Bags on their backs and sleep still heavy in their eyes, these young learners brave dim streets and long distances simply to avoid being marked late.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe leave home around 4:30 because our house is far and there\u2019s always traffic. If we delay, we\u2019ll be marked late,\u201d a pupil told JoyNews, summing up the daily struggle faced by hundreds of children.<\/p>\n

Some walk in small groups, whispering their way through the cool dawn. Others move alone, heads bent and shivering in the early morning air. A few manage a quiet laugh, but the exhaustion on many faces is unmistakable. For these children, the push for punctuality often comes at the cost of their safety and well-being.<\/p>\n

Parents say their hands are tied. Many begin work before dawn, with strict schedules and limited income that leave little room for transport alternatives.<\/p>\n

\u201cI start work by 6 a.m.,\u201d one mother explained. \u201cIf I don\u2019t leave early, I\u2019ll lose my job. So I wake the children up before 4:30 so they can walk together. It\u2019s not safe, but there\u2019s no other way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rising transport costs and the absence of school buses force families to rely on older children to guide younger siblings.<\/p>\n

At Salient Junior College in Shema, Headmistress Portia Ebela Kuboi described the situation as deeply worrying. \u201cSome of the children arrive as early as 5:00 a.m. and stay on campus until after 6:00 p.m.,\u201d she told JoyNews.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are here before the teachers, waiting in the dark. It is unsafe and exhausting for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

She warns that as schools increasingly take on responsibilities traditionally handled by parents, the health, safety, and emotional development of children are at risk.<\/p>\n

Social welfare officials share the concern. Mr Innocent Agbolosu of the Oti Regional Directorate of Social Welfare urged parents to seek support from trusted caregivers, stressing that children walking alone face avoidable danger. He added that community-based childcare programmes and social protection systems must be strengthened to support parents balancing demanding jobs and childcare.<\/p>\n

This pre-dawn routine reflects broader social and economic pressures. Many parents depend on early-shift jobs or daily wages, making these early departures a necessity rather than a choice. Experts say meaningful solutions will require coordinated support from parents, schools, communities, and government agencies.<\/p>\n

Until such systems improve, Ghana\u2019s youngest learners will continue navigating dark streets each morning, carrying not only their books but the weight of a system that places heavy demands on them far too early.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"RiskingEvery morning, long before the sun rises, children in Takoradi and other communities in Ghana lace up their shoes, sling schoolbags over their shoulders, and step into the darkness. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe leave home around 4:30 because our house is far and there\u2019s always traffic. If we delay, we\u2019ll be marked late,\u201d a pupil told JoyNews, capturing the daily struggle faced by hundreds of young learners.<\/p>\n

Walking along dimly lit streets, some children move in small groups, chatting softly. Others tread alone, heads down, shivering in the cool, pre-dawn air. The laughter of a few cannot hide the exhaustion visible on many faces. For these children, the journey to school is a delicate balance between punctuality and well-being\u2014one that no child should have to navigate alone.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6591,1945,1883,117,10,9,1907,2184,1101,4419],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-children","category-hp-news-8","category-national","category-news","category-politics","category-popular","category-regional","category-school","category-takoradi","category-traffic"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=102682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=102682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=102682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=102682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}