In Ghana right now there’s a lot riding on getting your child to read by age 5. No one can pinpoint precisely when these expectations started. But there’s a widespread sense that Africa is rising. Just last year, Ghana ranked among the world’s fastest-growing economies. And like many parents, Agbavor is convinced that all sorts of jobs could be opening up for people who know things — skills like speaking English and working with computers. And so there’s a trend here. Parents — even those with very low incomes — are putting their children in private schools at younger and younger ages.
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