The article has been automatically translated into English by Google Translate from Russian and has not been edited.

The child carries a punishment rod to school: a Russian woman told how to raise children in Ghana

'05.04.2018'

Source: Mel.fm

Kindergarten from three months, unconditional respect for elders and the fear of punishment. Yes, they raise children in the Republic of Ghana (this is West Africa, if that). Petersburg woman Natalya Sakado has been living in Ghana for three years, where she married Ghanaian and now has two sons.

Фото: Depositphotos

She told what features of education can shock even the most severe Europeans, writes Mel.fm. Children for Ghanaians are a kind of God's blessing, they embody the idea of ​​the reincarnation of their parents. Children should take care of their parents in old age, so if the family does not have a child, this is a stigma.

Now the educated Ghanaians marry rather late - closer to the 30 years, and then they have children. In poor families, of course, everything happens earlier, many children are out of wedlock. As soon as the couple got married, everyone starts to wait for the child. And if this does not happen, everyone begins to suspect that something is wrong, and this becomes a problem for the family, which has since been considered inferior and even dysfunctional.

Previously, the Ganks gave birth to many children, including due to the high mortality of babies, and the family needed working hands. Now there are fewer children, on average - three children. Here I have two sons, and they are all haunted, when will we go for the third.

Фото: Depositphotos

Public breastfeeding and no nipples and strollers

There are no maternity hospitals in Ghana, only hospitals where pregnant women come for consultations. They are taken by midwives. Conducting pregnancy is almost no different from the Russian - the same tests, examinations once a month. Of course, this is only about those women who can pay for medical services and, in principle, get to the hospital. But there are those who live without any examinations and only come to the hospital with complications. They give birth at home with the help of midwives.

In Ghana, it is believed that pregnant women should only look at the beautiful, if they see something ugly - it can affect the fetus. The rest of the future mothers live a normal life. When it comes time to give birth, the mother comes pregnant and helps her the first time with a newborn, other children and around the house. Previously, a woman who had just given birth was generally resettled to her mother’s house for the first six months. Now there is almost no such tradition, at least in the cities.

When it comes time to give birth, who can, goes to the hospital, who can not - call the grandmother-midwife. After giving birth in a hospital, a woman is held for a short time and try to be discharged on the same day if there are no complications. Even those who have given birth at home, then still go to medical institutions to examine the child, weigh and make vaccinations. Yes, in Ghana, no woman has a thought about the dangers of vaccinations for a baby.

In this part of the world, children begin to vaccinate earlier than in Russia, and the intervals between vaccinations are smaller - still a dangerous zone.

The first time, the child is treated as a stranger from the world of spirits, as something impermanent, because it is not yet clear whether he will remain or leave. They wait for the first seven days, look at the child, and a week later they give him a name and arrange a holiday, bless him. The pastor gives a speech, prays, guests bring gifts. In Ghana, they often give names depending on the day of the week - there are female and male versions of each day. The name can be affected by the child’s sequence number, whether it has a twin brother or whether it was a desired child. Every person knows what day he was born, even if it is not recorded in his passport. My husband’s name on the passport is not on the day of the week, but in his family it is still called “Kwaku” - Thursday. More often give the second religious name - Christian or Muslim.

In two weeks the boys are circumcised. For some reason, it is believed that this is due to religious considerations, although the majority in Ghana are Christians. So, rather, all the same because of hygiene. Female circumcision is prohibited by law, in Ghana it is almost absent.

Breastfeeding in Ghana is not very. In poor families who cannot buy a mixture, they try to feed as long as possible, but this does not always work. Many mothers have to go to work when the child has just turned three months old. Lure start early - up to six months. At first it is porridges, and not children's specials, but those that eat everything around. It’s generally not considered embarrassing to give a child a breast in public. Sometimes you walk along a busy street, and a vendor sits on the side of the road and feeds the child. No one even pays attention to this. Short shorts will cause people much more shock.

Most Ghanaians do not use either cribs, or strollers, or nipples, or rattles. Children sleep with their mother or on special mattresses with a dense surround edge. Of all the devices only walkers are really used. There are shoved very young children 4-5 months, which are not standing on legs. Sometimes children's chairs help to put the child in and out of the yard. Someone uses diapers, and someone (low income) very rarely - just on the road or to sleep.

Фото: Depositphotos

Ghanaian-Spartan education: punishment and absolute respect for adults

The Ghanaian parenting system is very different from the European. If in Europe the child is treated as an equal, then in Ghana the main ones are adults.

All the best goes to adults and old people, and not children at all. Education is rigorous, one might say, spartan. Children are taught to work from infancy. Physical punishment is also the norm, and in schools too. They are trying to move away from this, but still it is possible to see how the child goes to school and carries with him a twig, with which he will be punished.

Children are taught to sit quietly and quietly, not to go anywhere, not to look, not to contradict adults, not to discuss anything. This system has its advantages: children treat adults with great respect, never pereloch, honor the elderly, take care of their parents when they grow up. But there are also disadvantages: they begin to deceive, to avoid punishment, there is no strong connection between parents and children, mom and dad do not really explain what is good or bad, but simply punish. That is, internal morality is not developed - there is the fear of punishment, not understanding. Therefore, when young people break out of such a strict system, they embark on all serious things. I myself do not adhere to this style of upbringing, my husband and I do not punish the children, and we try not to curse almost, we listen to their opinion. For locals, this is wild.

Ghana is also a country of advice: as in Russia, outsiders often interfere in the process of education. If, in the opinion of the locals, I do something wrong, they immediately begin to discuss it. For example, it is customary to wear socks for children here, I do not do that. I also allow my children to run in the rain - this is also a shock for the Ghanaians. Local children grow up without toys, that is, they are, but not enough. Christmas is almost the only day of the year when children are given toys.

Фото: Depositphotos

Kindergarten from three months and no toys

In Ghana, a child can be given to the garden from three months. He gets into the nursery, where children only play, sleep, eat and watch cartoons. After two years, a new stage begins - already without games. Children draw, learn rhymes and songs, letters and numbers, they read books. At four, they are already taught to read and write, to solve examples, children even have their own textbooks.

The day begins with a ruler: the children sing the national anthem, read a prayer. The younger groups have breakfast, while the older ones only have snack and lunch. After school there are additional classes: drama, music, cooking. Quiet time for children older than two years is not provided. Toys here, again, no. This is related to the priorities of the parents. A husband’s colleague complained that at school, for which he paid a lot of money, his children draw. Draw! And they must write, count, and patter to say their name and age and verse from the Bible in English.

Much, of course, depends on the school - they are public and private. The state is free, only teachers with a profile diploma are taken there, but no one controls anything - the teachers use this, they freeze, the child gets a little knowledge. The poorest children go to public schools. Studying in Ghana is the priority of every family, so even if parents have money problems, they will most likely deny themselves everything but send the child to a private school. In private, you have to pay for your studies, although teachers can get there without a special diploma, just with a good education. But they work there for the result.

My children go to a private kindergarten, which, in fact, is the same school. They are even in the same building as the upper classes. The teachers of the eldest son are men, here it is quite common. In our school, as many as four sets of compulsory forms. Jeans and a yellow shirt for the environment, a festive uniform for Friday, yellow shorts and a blue shirt - for the rest of the week and a white sports uniform. In schools, as in Russia, they organize various cultural events, such as the “Day of Cultural Heritage”, when all children should come in national costumes, and after classes a celebration with traditional dances.

There are many universities in Ghana, there are even very good ones. But still they are not enough to give everyone an education. On prestigious specialties such as medicine is a huge competition, it is difficult to enter without connections. When the applicant does not pass on points for a specialty, he is offered a different faculty. So they did to my husband when he could not get a doctor. But he refused and decided to study abroad. Here, so many do. China, Russia, Ukraine are in special demand among Ghanaian applicants, because they are cheaper than other countries.

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