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Tamale, Ghana – She is the oldest student on campus, and from afar, one can easily perceive her to be a young adult in her mid-20s because of her ‘smallish’ body size and baby face.
Many people of her age have lost hope. And indeed, even many young people far below her age, have given up in acquiring basic, second cycle or tertiary education.
But 51 year-old Naah Felicitas, a final year student of the Tamale School of Hygiene, who is studying Environmental Health, has not allowed her age to discourage her from achieving her life goal.
Fecilitas has always wanted to acquire higher education since she completed her Ordinary Level education in the 80s. But for more than two decades, marriage life and all the attendant consequences that come with it sometimes, did not allow her to pursue higher education after successfully completing “O” Level.
This is because, Felicitas’ ex-husband (name withheld) who promised he was going to support her to continue with her education to the highest level after marriage, failed to honour his promise after the end of their honeymoon.
“I completed form 4 “O” Level in 1984. I wanted to continue to the university or teacher training college, anywhere I can get a higher qualification. And my boyfriend at the time promised me that he will support me to go back to school if I agree to marry him. But after we got married, he suddenly changed his mind and started giving me excuses.
“My ex-husband eventually told me that my parents should have been the ones to take care of me to complete my education and not him. Because to him, he can’t take care of my education and that of our children in addition”, she recalled in an interview with Savannah News’ Philip Liebs.
According to Felicitas, she was ready to raise funds herself to finance her education if only her husband would give her the opportunity to go back to school. But it also became obvious that her husband wouldn’t support the idea.
“First I taught it was because of financial problems but when I suggested to him that I will look for the money myself to take care of my education he kicked against it. This made me to realise that he didn’t just want me to go back to school especially when he told me to choose between my going to school and our marriage following my continuous insistence” she disclosed.
Felicitas marriage broke down in 2006. Following that, she enrolled in Pedu Junior High School in the Central Region of Ghana and by 2009, she was a BECE graduate.
She continued to Ogua Senior High and Technical School in 2018 after attaining aggregate 28 at the Basic Education Certificate Examination in 2009.
Felicitas, who is a mother of three grown up children with the last born in Jahan College of Education in Wa in the Upper West Region of Ghana, enrolled to study Environmental Health at the Tamale School of Hygiene in 2017.
“I want other people especially those who have lost hope in life or pursuing their dreams to hear my story and get motivated. I have 3 adult children. I’ve grandchildren. If my ex-husband had kept his promise I would’ve completed school long time ago. But here I am still sitting in class with people I am far older than and I compete with them in all quizzes.
“Young girls should place more priority on their education. They shouldn’t let marriage, pregnancy or child birth end their education. In fact, try and finish school. Get a degree before you think about marriage. I’m saying this from experience”, she admonished.
Bismarck, a classmate of Felicitas told this reporter he feels so humbled ever since he came into contact with her.
“She is a classmate in the first place but she’s also like a big sister and a mother to me and many of our classmates. There are times when I need advice on something, I seek her counsel and her advice has helped shape my life on campus”, he said.
Mukasa, another classmate who nearly gave up his dream of pursuing tertiary education said: “When I completed secondary School, I was in the house. At a point I didn’t want to continue with my education again. This is because any time I bought forms, I was denied admission. But my senior sister and brother kept encouraging and pushing me to go to school. So they bought the school of hygiene forms for me to fill and this time round I was lucky I got admission. And so when I was reporting I thought I was going to be the oldest student in our batch considering how long I have stayed at home. But when I saw sister Felicitas in our class I was surprised and felt very encouraged that at least there are many people who are my age mates and some of them including sister Felicitas are far older than me”, he narrated.
Continuing, he said: “When it was time for us to do our field project work, sister Felicitas took myself and Bismark to Cape Coast where we were all posted to. She kept us in her house, took care of everything we needed until we finished with what we were doing and we came back to school. She is very kind, she relates well with everybody and contributes to class discussions. She even beat some of us the young ones during quizzes”, Mukasa stressed.
Barring any unforeseen circumstance, Naa Felicitas would complete her two year certificate programme at the Tamale School of Hygiene come June 2019. She hopes to find a job as environmental health officer so that she can also work for some time before she turns 60 years and go for retirement.
By Savannahnewsonline.com/Philip Liebs
Motivating…inspired