Letter from Ghana – by Benedicta Ekua Arthur
I am Benedicta Ekua Arthur, a teacher in Church of Christ M/A Kindergarten and Primary school in Cape Coast, Ghana. Like my current project partners Eli Attipoe and Emmanuel Agyapong, I am a participant of the ASA Academia program working on the project “Decolonizing English Language Teaching and ELT curricula through a bi-directional learning-and-teaching-approach” this year at two partner universities in Karlsruhe (Germany) and Cape Coast (Ghana). This project seeks to give opportunity to young minds to explore and contribute to attaining the SDG’s #4 ,#10, #16, #17, specifically putting away Eurocentric views in English language teaching.
The project is structured on bi-directional learning, and I am committed to lifelong learning and interdisciplinary collaboration to address global educational challenges. I applied for the ASA project because of my deep interest in education as a driver for sustainable development. The project aligns with my passion for fostering inclusive and equitable learning opportunities. ASA’s emphasis on global partnership and knowledge exchange excites me as I believe that collaborative efforts between educators, institutions and policy makers are key to transforming education systems worldwide. The project will help me “learn, unlearn, and relearn” through interactions, collaborative tasks, workshops, seminar work, creating decolonial school lessons, and simply by listening and observing.
Kindly let me walk you through my academic journey as a teacher. I have taught in grade three for three years and nine years in the kindergarten. I began my elementary education at Flowers Gay School, proceeded to University Junior High School, then to Mfantseman Girls’ Senior High School, trained as a teacher at Our Lady of Apostle Teacher Training College, and finally earned my degree in Bachelor of Basic Education from The University of Cape Coast (UCC). During these periods, I was trained by Sabre Education, a UK-based NGO which trains teachers for kindergarten and early graders in the British Curriculum, specifically Phonics (a method to teach young learners to read and write) and the use of teaching materials. I can say it was very helpful because it prepared my young students to be able to blend letters and read them before they got to lower primary. This training was recommended by the Ghana Education Service and was mandatory for all Kindergarten teachers.
This engagement with the British curriculum might appear contradictory in retrospect regarding the context of a decolonial approach. Yet, I view it as an opportunity to critically reflect on how colonial legacies continue to shape education systems in Ghana. Learners at that age cannot read their mother tongue yet, but were taught to blend letters to read, and there were also certain words that the children could not relate to, e.g. “snow” or “strawberry”.
I am a professional teacher with a strong background in education, curriculum development and student- centered learning methodologies. My passion lies in promoting inclusive, equitable and high-quality education that empowers learners to reach their full potential with experience in both formal and informal education setting. I am also the curriculum leader of my school, whose role is to lead discussions and train other teachers in the new curriculum and trends in the Ghana Education Service.
Aside my teaching career, I like cooking my local food like Jollof rice and Banku and Orko stew, watching Nigerian and Ghanaian movies, listening to Christian songs, meeting old friends from my childhood and having conversations with them, and above all I am a lover of family gatherings.
Growing up in Ghana, there was a TV program called “Greetings from abroad” hosted by Nana Adwoa Awindor. Mostly, people who sent out messages on this show were persons living in Germany, and as a child my curiosity arose to find out more about Germany. It is not surprising I ditched my UK University admission where I was offered an M.A. in “Research in Education and Learning” in order to apply for the ASA project #1107 instead: I needed this experience – and reading about the goals of this project I decided to go in for it. I applied for the ASA project. I saw the project as a way to shape and mold me in my professional career. I also thought about it as a way to see Germany and step out of my comfort zone.
As a teacher, passionate about global learning, intercultural exchange and sustainable development, I was immediately drawn to the ASA project when Gloria Amissah, a friend of mine, introduced it to me. She got to know of the project through Dr Christopher Yaw Kwaah‘s advertisement of the project. I had always dreamed of participating in a project that could expand both my worldview and my teaching practice.
Applying for the ASA programme, I saw it as a detailed and reflective process for myself. The application form was not just about qualifications. It asked deep questions, and I attached my resumé. Once I hit “submit”, all I could do was wait. A week later, I received an email from Dr Christopher Yaw Kwaah: “You have been shortlisted for an interview for the project.” The interview was scheduled via Zoom in Dr. Chris office with Prof. Martin, the university-cooperation project leaders at UCC and the University of Education Karlsruhe. During the interview, I was asked about what I knew about ASA, why I applied, the specific SDG’s the project is related to, how I balanced all my numerous duties. One question which struck me was how to teach children with diverse languages. In my view, teaching young learners with diverse languages, one has to use digital tools such as projectors, or picture cards and video players. I talked about cultural differences and what I hoped to bring back to my own classroom after the project. A week later, I received another email that changed everything: “you have been selected for the project ‘Decolonizing English Language Teaching and ELT curricula through a bi-directional learning-and-teaching-approach’ under the ASA Academia global format (Engagement Global)“.
I was overjoyed. I felt validated not just as a teacher, but as someone eager to grow, share, and learn in a global context. The ASA team in Berlin followed up with orientation details, a preparatory workshop schedule, and information about my placement in Germany.
I am a Wednesday-born, and in the Ghanaian traditional society the day you are born is very significant. So when every major step we took during the Visa process fell on a Wednesday, I was optimistic that my colleagues and I would sail through with the Visa application. Upon the successful Visa interview, I started reading about last year’s ASA project, The Cameroon Experience, and also read a lot of other articles on the blog. I also watched videos on YouTube towards my journey to Germany about what to expect. Germany is known in Ghana for its strong educational system and commitment to sustainability.
I like this quote by Peter Drucker, the father of modern management: “Knowledge has to be improved, challenged and increased constantly, or it vanishes”. So, I am ready to share my ideas, experience and knowledge through series of discussions with my colleagues.
I am hoping to take a trip to Berlin, and there is so much I want to see. I will start at the Brandenburg Gate, just to stand where history has passed through. I have heard Berliners are friendly who will point you the right way even if you do not speak much German. I want to walk the East Side Galley, to see how art grew from a wall that once divided a city. I want to confirm the assertion or see for myself if the Ghanaian prejudice is correct that Germans take in beer in place of water when they are thirsty. Certainly, I believe there are tee-totallers in Germany, too. I would love to taste a lot of German dishes like Bratwurst, Pretzel, Leberkaese, asparagus dishes, a whole variety of bread like the whole wheat and rye bread varieties, and also potato salad.
I will definitely climb to the top of the Reichstag dome – not just for the view, but the feeling of standing inside a symbol of democracy. I will want to explore Karlsruhe Palace and Castle, from where the city spreads out like a fan around the gardens. It is the beginning of memories I cannot wait to live.
I anticipate experiencing a culture that values efficiency, discipline, and collaboration. I look forward to learning about Germany’s educational approaches, engaging with local communities. I am eager to explore the cultural diversity, historical richness, and technological advancements that Germany has to offer to me as a first-time traveler. Eli, Emmanuel, our three German tandem-partners and project leaders are poised to start decolonizing ELT curricula and teaching materials to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals #4, #10, #16 and $17 through our tandem-interactions.
Now, as I prepare to embark on this journey, I carry with me the excitement of learning new teaching approaches, building international networks, and bringing back the experiences to enrich my classroom for years to come.
Before I end my letter, I am looking forward in taking the flight for the first time, land in Karlsruhe and taking part in seminars, presentation and learn from Prof Isabel Martin. I am happy for the opportunity given to me by ASA and The University of Education Karlsruhe.
Text by Benedicta Ekua Arthur
Photos by Benedicta Ekua Arthur, Regina Arthur, Shakiratu Ibrahim, Bryan Aggrey-Fynn
Copyright of images
Da Supremo,2020.”Banku and Okro Stew. JPG” (Illustration). Accessed June 8th, 2025.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banku_and_okra_stew_with_crab_and_fish.jpg via Wikimedia commons