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.

“We leave home around 4:30 because our house is far and there’s always traffic. If we delay, we’ll be marked late,” a pupil told JoyNews, summing up the daily struggle faced by hundreds of children.

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.

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

“I start work by 6 a.m.,” one mother explained. “If I don’t leave early, I’ll lose my job. So I wake the children up before 4:30 so they can walk together. It’s not safe, but there’s no other way.”

Rising transport costs and the absence of school buses force families to rely on older children to guide younger siblings.

At Salient Junior College in Shema, Headmistress Portia Ebela Kuboi described the situation as deeply worrying. “Some of the children arrive as early as 5:00 a.m. and stay on campus until after 6:00 p.m.,” she told JoyNews.

“They are here before the teachers, waiting in the dark. It is unsafe and exhausting for them.”

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

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.

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.

Until such systems improve, Ghana’s 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.