Abstract:

The conditions under which teachers work influence the quality of their delivery and learning of children in class. This study sought to investigate the conditions under which teachers in rural and deprived areas in Ghana face in their classrooms and the effects they have on teaching and learning. It is mainly exploratory, using a concurrent mixed method approach in a cross sectional survey. A sample of 300 teachers, head teachers and circuit supervisors were selected by using purposive, quota and random sampling techniques. Data was collected using questionnaire, semi-structured interview schedules and focus group discussions and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study identified lack of teaching and learning materials, low pupil/teacher ratio, inadequate infrastructural facilities, language barrier and stress from long ride of both pupils and teachers to school as challenges that hinder teaching and learning in the district. The study concluded that there exist a nexus among the challenges in teaching and learning in the district, hence solving some key challenges will translate into resolving the challenges in teaching and learning.

Keywords:

Learning materials, implementation challenges, pupil/teacher ratio, deprived areas.