Abstract
The ongoing pandemic provides an opportunity to highlight the results of the vicious cycle where COVID-19 intersects with poverty, education, and technology in Ghana. In this chapter, the authors apply intersectionality theory to the overlapping areas of the existing poverty, educational, and technological divides in the sub-Saharan country of Ghana. The authors further demonstrate how the dysfunctional implications of this intersect are further amplified and compounded by COVID-19. The authors propose several recommendations for the resolutions of the intersectionality issues identified. These include practical suggestions for the Ghanaian government, the various educational institutions, private sectors, and individual teachers and students.
TopPoverty Divide In Ghana
Oses (2016) suggested that poverty is a multi-dimensional concept that can best be differentially defined across nations and their various communities. Poverty can be characterized by what society considers poor depending on particular factors such as consumption and expenditure trends or the population's level of income (Mussa, 2014). Yawson (2004) stated that Africa currently accounts for the largest number of people living below the poverty line and earning one dollar or less daily. Unfortunately, a large proportion of people in Africa earns less than one dollar per day and face poverty (Yawson, 2004).
Ghana, a Sub-Saharan African country, also experiences a high level of poverty among its population. A significant percentage of Ghanaians live below the poverty line and are likely to earn less than the acceptable amount of income to influence the quality of their lives (World Bank, 2011; Molini & Paci, 2015). The International Labour Office (ILO) (2004) statistics suggested that four out of ten Ghanaians live in extreme poverty. The poverty divide in Ghana is defined by the Ghana Living Standards Survey as two-thirds of the population living below the nation’s per capita income (Yawson, 2004; Osei-Assibey, 2014).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Poverty Divide: A term to denote the gap between the wealthy and poor individuals within a specific nation or socially identified group.
Sub-Saharan Countries: These are mostly African countries geographically located south of the Saharan desert. The term is used to distinguish between African countries in the north which lean towards Arab and Arabic cultures, and those in the south which are not dominated by Arabic culture.
Educational Reform: Is the notion that education evolves and must be reassessed regularly in order to better benefit learners.
Instructivisim: It is the concept that teachers and institutions have the knowledge to pass down to students. Learning centers around teachers.
Corona-Virus: It is a virus which emerged out of the Far East and spread globally mainly due to travel. The term, COVID-19, is an identifier; meaning the virus was identified in the year 2019.
Information and Communication Technology: It covers a gamut of technology and digital communication skills in the sphere of electronics.
Millennium Development Goals: These international goals, eight in total, were set by the United Nations in 2000 in an attempt to bridge the gap between the developed, developing and under-developed countries.
Constructivism: Is the notion that learners can learn from peers while teachers assume the role of facilitator, not necessarily being the one with all information to pass down to learners.
Intersectionality: It is the concept of several factors or axes overlapping and interconnecting to create a series of disadvantages to a group of people. Knowledge of this theory prepares individuals and groups to better deal with factors that adversely affect them in a meaningful manner.