Illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey in parts of the Upper East Region, is not only negatively impacting the environment, but it is wreaking havoc in the education sector as well.
Schoolchildren, especially boys, are abandoning school for illegal mining sites to earn some quick cash. Many go with the intention of returning to school, but the majority never return after tasting gold cash.
The sad development has left stakeholders in education at their wits’ end as to how to address the issue, given that the poverty levels are high in these mining districts.
Basic schools in the Talensi, Nabdam, and Bongo districts appear to be the hardest hit as boys prefer to labour at mining sites rather than stay in school.
The focus on the education of the girl child has exacerbated the issue in these districts.
“If you go to some of the schools around the mining communities, you can just count only 3 boys in a classroom,” a concerned resident lamented.
Only a few licensed miners – both large-scale and small-scale – operate in the Upper East, with the rest of the mining left to illegal small-scale miners.
The children tend to work with these illegal miners who exploit their labour for profit, and show no concern for their future.
The situation in the region is deeply concerning, and if nothing concrete is done about it, it can only get worse.
