Mr. Freeman Gebute, a Basic Four teacher(facilitator) at the Kaasa Basic School in Siniesi in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region, has creatively and innovatively modelled some tourist sites to assist his learners who cannot afford an educational tour to various tourist and heritage sites in Ghana.
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Mr. Freeman said situations beyond his control is what impelled him to come up with such innovative Teaching and Learning Resources (TLR) to aid his learners to have a sense of the tourist sites even without the privilege of visiting them.
This, according to him, was during a History class, one of the subjects in the new Standard-based Curriculum for basic schools. He beautifully modelled the iconic Larabanga Mosque and the Jamestown Lighthouse.
“We used to contribute money to take the pupils to some of these tourist sites, but now things have changed, you can’t take money from the pupils and take them to places where you think they need to go and learn. So it is the funding, how to take over 20 pupils from this place to Larabanga and back is the problem”, he said.
Considering that the school is located in a rural area, with most of the population living with very little income, he doubts the pupils or their parents can even afford the cost that may be involved.
Brief History of Larabanga Mosque and Jamestown Lighthouse
The Larabanga Mosque is thought to be the oldest mosque in Ghana and West Africa. It is popularly referred to as the ‘Mecca of West Africa’, because of its rich historical and architectural values. The Mosque is believed to have been built around the year 1421 an Islamic trader called Ayuba, who was travelling through the area. It is located at the Western Gonja District, in a town called Larabanga, along the Sawla-Damongo Road in the Northern Region of Ghana.
The Jamestown lighthouse is located in the Jamestown neighbourhood of Accra, Ghana. The 28-metre (92 ft) structure was originally built in the 1930s, replacing an earlier lighthouse that had been built in 1871. The Lighthouse is the highest point of the place, and it is seen from a distance up to 16 nautical miles. It is a stone structure and is still operating today.
Mr. Freeman’s Next Project
Freeman studied Visual Arts in Senior High School where he acquired the knowledge and skill in arts. As a trained teacher who studied ‘General Programme’ at the College of Education.
He has planned to design the Flagstaff House as well as the Osu Castle in the next History lesson.
