The average sixth grade school pupil in the rural area is as good only as the average class one pupil in the urban area. That’s according to research by Teach for Ghana, a non-governmental organization dedicated to quality rural education. “What it means on the average is that what a stage one pupil can read in a high-end school in Accra is what a class six child in a deprived community will read. What that person in the urban area can do when it comes to basic maths is what the class six child there can do. That’s the reality we have on the ground,” director of Teach for Ghana, Ken Kpodo said this on the back Joy FM Hotline Documentary dubbed Our Village School. “We realized that there are three variables when it comes to education – the school in which they operate, the pupil who goes to the school and the third is the teacher who instructs.” Mr Kpodo says school pupils are not guided to choose careers while they are still in school. He cited an example in Bronx, USA, where rural children are taught and inspired to choose careers and universities while in basic school. In our colleges of education, the teacher trainees don’t have leadership as one of the things they are taught. But if you’re going into the classroom as somebody to influence [children] you have to be inspired first. What kind of information are we giving that child?” Log on to the Audio to play back the full documentary.