God’s Dunamis School Nurtures Community Literacy from Four Learners to 390 Through EduQuality
On the outskirts of Accra, Ghana, Augustine drew on 20 years of teaching experience and passion to found God’s Dunamis School in September 2023 with just four learners. “I saw learners in the community struggling with basic literacy skills,” Augustine recalls. That observation became the seed for God’s Dunamis, though the dream was tested by years of land acquisition challenges. God’s Dunamis school started in a simple wooden structure on a land it is still working to fully acquire. Today, barely three years later, the school serves 390 learners.
Growth brought a bittersweet challenge for Augustine as the school’s population outgrew its resources. He recalls days when classroom furniture could not keep up with class sizes. “Learners would stand for about two hours while we organized ourselves to get them a chair,” he says.
Despite these lean beginnings, he found ways to resource the school with whatever limited funds he could spare. However, these initial struggles made him realize that running an institution requires entirely different capacities from those required for teaching, and that he could no longer rely solely on his extensive teaching experience to manage the school's operations.
Joining Opportunity EduFinance’s EduQuality program in 2025 marked a turning point in this journey. Designed as a three-year intervention focused on holistic school improvement, the program targets both School Leadership and Teacher Mentorship Professional Development.
Through targeted leadership training and ongoing mentorship, Augustine learned to translate his teaching instincts into structured management systems. To strengthen the school’s operations, Augustine and his staff were trained in financial management, branding, and instructional leadership. This support empowered the school's leadership to improve teaching standards through better lesson planning, efficient use of class time, and routine, constructive feedback for educators.
Academically, the head of academics, alongside 3 departmental heads, closely monitors teachers and reviews termly plans to ensure optimal lesson delivery. Meanwhile, teachers who served as mentors supported their colleagues in areas where they needed growth.
“There were things I thought were just normal,” Augustine reflects. “I realized that you may be doing those things and not even know whether you are progressing, but introducing documentation and monitoring has helped me plan for the school and for the teachers.” This enhanced administrative and academic capacity resulted in God’s Dunamis School learners excelling in the district's Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E.).
As the school transformed internally, the effects were felt throughout the broader community. Enrolment increased, one conversation at a time. “When parents see a change in their children, they become your ambassadors,” Augustine adds.
To build trust in a community where enrollment was initially a challenge, the Parent-Teacher Association became a critical bridge to engage caregivers with routine home visits as well. Augustine also decided to keep education accessible to low-income families, deliberately setting term fees at GHS 150 ($9.26 USD) for primary school and GHS 250 ($15.43 USD) for junior high school.
Recognizing the nature of the community, the school markets itself through a local information center, effectively reaching caregivers who may lack internet access. This approach recently yielded 54 new learners enrolled mid-year, a sign of growing community trust.
Today, God’s Dunamis School has grown from four students to welcoming nearly 400 learners each morning. With expert guidance from Opportunity International’s Education Specialist, Augustine sees the school as a long-term investment in the community’s future. His ambition is to become the leading locally owned school in the district, secure full ownership of their land, and embark on renovations during the long vacation.
“My journey with Opportunity has been awesome,” he notes. Through strategic support and determined leadership, God’s Dunamis School continues to transform its community.