Exploring the Barriers to Accessing Formal Education by Children in the Alleged Witches’ Camps in Ghana

This study explored the barriers to accessing formal education by children in witch camps in Ghana. This is an area neglected by both research and policy in Ghana. This study was conducted in the Gambaga Witches Camp, one of the oldest and most notorious witch camps in Africa. The study employed socio-anthropological methods of data, including interviews, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and observations. Data were gathered from various categories of respondents, such as children in the witches’ camp, the alleged witches, the custodians of the witch camp, headteachers and teachers, Ghana Education Services Municipal Directorate officers, the East Mamprusi Municipal Assembly officer, the Presbyterian Church in Gambaga, Islamic Clerics, NGOs and members of the community in which the camp is located. The study found that the children are in the camp to serve their mothers or grandmothers who have been accused of witchcraft and brought to the camp. The study further found that for those children who are attending school, their education is seriously challenged by poor conditions at the camp, poverty, isolation and depression. At the school level, they face abuse from their colleagues, such as name-calling and stigmatisation, unprovoked attacks, and isolation. This situation makes the school environment unattractive, intimidating, and unfriendly to children coming from the witches’ camp. Children in the witches’ camp frequently avoid school, resulting in frequent absenteeism, tardiness, and poor academic performance. The paper recommends that the government take measures to improve the conditions at the camp. Other students and teachers must be educated to see children from the witches’ camp as victims of circumstances, and must not be discriminated against. They must be supported, encouraged, and fully integrated into the school system.