NINE YEARS OF NO EDUCATION
After my time in Dambai, I was sent to Gbagokope in the Afram Plains to live with my biological brother and his wife. Intially, I felt hopeful-I believed that living with my family would provide the support and stability I desperately yearned for.
I was wrong! Instead of finding comfort, I found another season of struggle. The years that followed became some of the most painful years of my life.
In the first quarter of 2008, my education came to a halt. While other children continued moving from one class to another, my own academic journey was interrupted. Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Before I realized it, an approximated nine years of my life had passed without meaningful progress in my education.
One of the most painful experiences was watching children of my age walk to school each morning. They carried books and wore uniforms, while I remained behind, working on farms and struggling to survive. Every sight of a schoolchild reminded me of the dream that seemed to be slipping further away.
The emotional burden was heavy. I loved education and believed deeply in its power to transform lives. Even as a young boy, I knew I wanted something more for my future. Yet poverty and circumstances continued to stand in my way.
Life in my brother’s home was difficult. Much of my time was spent working on farms and participating in fishing activities. The labor was constant, and there was little room for personal growth or educational development.
What hurt even more was the feeling of rejection. There were moments when words spoken by those closest to me wounded me deeply. On some occasions, visitors were asked whether they thought I was mentally stable. Hearing such questions about myself was humiliating and painful.
One particular incident remains fresh in my memory. A brother once asked me what meaningful thing I could ever become in life. The question may have seemed ordinary to him, but to me, it felt like a judgment on my future. For a long time, those words echoed in my mind.
Many nights, I questioned myself. I wondered whether my dreams would ever become reality. I wondered whether life would always remain this difficult.
Then, in early 2015, a door finally opened.
I was given the opportunity to return to school and enrolled at Ademukope, also known as Kokrobuta D/A Primary School. Returning to the classroom after such a long interruption was both exciting and challenging.
My struggles did not end simply because I had returned to school. I still had to balance education with fishing and farm work. On many mornings, I went fishing before sunrise and returned several hours later. By the time I prepared for school and made the journey there, classes were already well underway.
Despite these obstacles, I remained committed to my studies. I knew education represented hope, and I was determined not to waste the opportunity I had been given.
My hard work eventually paid off when I was selected to represent my school in an inter-circuit quiz competition. For me, this was more than a competition. It was proof that the years of delay had not destroyed my ability to learn and excel.
Unfortunately, I was not allowed to participate. The demands of fishing and family labor were considered more important than my educational opportunity.
The disappointment was heartbreaking. For days, I struggled to understand why such an important opportunity had been taken away from me.
Yet even in that painful moment, something inside me refused to die. My dream remained alive. My determination remained intact.
No matter how many obstacles stood before me, I continued to believe that one day my story would change… To be continued…
Credit: Evans Nyamekye