Talensi youth swap books for gold as school dropouts question value of education
In the Talensi District of Ghana’s Upper East Region, a growing number of students are abandoning the classroom in favor of gold mining, raising alarm among education officials.
District Director of Education, Christiana Azure Ayinzoya, has voiced serious concerns about the increasing disinterest in formal education, particularly among young boys and girls who are drawn to small-scale mining. In an interview with journalists, Madam Ayinzoya shared that her efforts to convince students to return to school are often met with sarcasm and stark realities.
“Some boys taunt me, asking what a teacher owns that they can’t buy,” she said. “They claim that one trip to the mining site earns them enough to afford better motorbikes than their teachers.”
Since gold was discovered in Talensi in 1995, youth participation in illegal or small-scale mining has surged, attracted by the lure of fast money. However, education officials say the impact on academic performance is dire. Over the past five years, the district has failed to achieve a 50% pass rate in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), recording a low of 26% in 2022/2023 and a modest improvement to 44.1% in 2023/2024.
The issue is not limited to boys. Many teenage girls have dropped out after entering relationships with young miners, who often entice them with mobile phones, money, and other flashy gifts. A number of these girls have ended up pregnant and have quit school altogether.
Despite her efforts to stress the long-term value of education, Ayinzoya admits her message rarely gets through. “I tell them that gold is non-renewable, but knowledge is for life. You can always build on it—and no one can take that from you.”
She has called for stronger collaboration with NGOs and civil society groups to help tackle the dropout crisis, proposing the creation of engaging programs and support systems to encourage school attendance.
“If we can get NGOs involved to organize meaningful activities and provide support, we may be able to retain these students,” she said. “Right now, the draw of the mining pits is overpowering the promise of the classroom.”
Ayinzoya warned that if the situation persists, Talensi’s long-term development could be at risk, as an entire generation may grow up prioritizing immediate profit over lasting personal and communal advancement.
