Midnight Sun International School was founded in 2012 by Richard Bindifrim and Lamisi Yerrow to provide basic education for children in the rural community of Langbinsi. It is essential that the children learn English at an early age; English is essential if they want to go on to higher education, such as secondary school or university.
The school was named in honor of the first volunteers from Norway. 470 children between the ages of two and fifteen attend kindergarten and elementary school here, including thirty half-orphans whose school fees have to be financed by donations.
The schoolchildren meet in the morning on the school forecourt and hold a small parade. Carefully lined up in rows, they sing the national anthem and the Midnight Sun International School Song.
Midnight Sun International School was founded in 2012 by Richard Bindifrim and Lamisi Yerrow to provide basic education for children in the rural community of Langbinsi. It is essential that the children learn English at an early age; English is essential if they want to go on to higher education, such as secondary school or university.
The school was named in honor of the first volunteers from Norway. 470 children between the ages of two and fifteen attend kindergarten and elementary school here, including thirty half-orphans whose school fees have to be financed by donations.
The schoolchildren meet in the morning on the school forecourt and hold a small parade. Carefully lined up in rows, they sing the national anthem and the Midnight Sun International School Song.
School subjects
The curriculum follows the guidelines of the state Ministry of Education. In addition to standard subjects such as reading and writing, mathematics and science, it also includes the subject “Communication & Technology”. Teaching this is difficult as there are no computers at the school and very few children have ever even seen one.
Way to school
Children have a very long journey to school, as not all of them come directly from the village, but also from the surrounding rural area. The child with the longest journey to school walks 8 kilometers to school and back home every day. It is important to remember that this is voluntary, because although school attendance is compulsory in Ghana, it is often not monitored.
The building
The children are taught by thirteen teachers in ten classrooms. Four new classrooms are currently under construction. The rooms have no lockable windows or doors. A wall was therefore recently erected around the school grounds. This is to ensure that no school materials are stolen and to prevent cows, donkeys, goats, monkeys and snakes from entering the grounds. In addition, small children cannot leave the school unattended.
The equipment
In addition to simple wooden benches and tables, there is a shelf with a few books as the beginning of a library. There is a book for each subject. The books are managed by the teachers, as are the wax crayons and colored pencils. The children each have a notebook and a pencil, in rare cases a ruler.
School meals
The children are at school from 8 am to 2 pm. School meals are also served during this time: Rice or corn porridge with tomato sauce. The food is freshly prepared by a cook on the school grounds every day. A maize field has been planted on the school grounds so that there is always enough for school meals. Fresh water for drinking and cooking is available from the newly built well and water tanks.
School uniform
In Ghana, schoolchildren wear a uniform, as is the case at Midnight Sun International School: the boys wear knee-length trousers and a matching short-sleeved shirt, while the girls wear a dress up to their knees in the same colors. A uniform costs the equivalent of eight euros; an immense amount for a family in Ghana, which is why most children only have one uniform and are allowed to come to school with other clothes on washing days.
