Growing up, I went to a school in Tamale Ghana 🇬🇭 called Tiyumba primary school. It was deemed as one of the best schools to take your kids to in the northern region.

2 min read

Just now

Back then, we were separated into three groups: Golden, Diamond, and Crystal. It sounded fancy, but behind those shiny names was a truth many of us felt deeply even as children.

The Golden and Diamond classes were for the kids with good grades — and more often, the kids whose parents could afford certain privileges.

Then there was Crystal, where the “less privileged” students were placed.

I still remember how it felt.

Not the classrooms themselves, but the weight of those labels. As a kid, i didn’t have the words for it.

But i felt it. How a child’s confidence could rise or fall simply because of the group they were placed in.

How some kids walked with their heads high because they were “Golden,” while others quietly wondered why they weren’t good enough.

Looking back now, I realize how unfair it was.

Children should be encouraged, supported, and given equal opportunities — not divided in ways that reflect their families’ circumstances. No child deserves to feel “less” because of a label someone else created.

Today, when I think about education and fairness, I remember Tiyumba. I remember “Golden, Diamond, and Crystal.” And I think about all the young people who grew up believing they were worth less than they truly are.

If no one has told you this today:

You were never a “Crystal.”

You were a whole diamond waiting for the right light.

Sometimes childhood teaches you lessons long before you understand them 🛖