Education in Ghana

Structure of Education in Ghana
2 years kindergarten
6 years primary school
3 years junior high school
4 years senior high school
4 years university (or other tertiary)

Ghana has sought to increase the literate population since independence fifty years ago and the 1992 Constitution made basic education a right for all Ghanaians. This constitution made basic education both free and compulsory.

Increasing enrolment

In 2005, to increase access to basic education, the Government introduced the capitation grant, a subsidy paid by the government which scrapped the majority of school fees. Enrolment swelled in classrooms across the country. Primary school enrolment rose from 79 percent in 2006/07 to 89 percent in 2007/2008 (source: EMIS). In addition, a school-feeding program was started in selected schools in the most deprived districts.

Patchy progress

Despite the gains, progress is not evenly distributed in the country and the quality of basic education has only improved marginally. Poor and rural areas and the three northern regions lag behind in education. Efforts are being made to improve gender parity. Currently, at national level, there are 96 girls attending school for every 100 boys.(source EMIS). But primary completion rates for girls are lower than for boys, drop-out rates are higher for girls, and girls’ enrolment lags behind boys’ at JHS and SHS level. (source EMIS)

Formidable obstacles such as a shortage of teachers willing to work in rural environments, poverty and hunger keep children out of school and/or hamper their ability to learn. In addition, the quality of education is poor: in 2007, Government assessments found only one quarter of class six pupils were functionally literate.

Administration

The Government of Ghana is the main provider of basic education for the nearly 3 million children in basic schools. The Ministry of Education is in charge of policy and direction. Actual implementation is carried out by the Ghana Education Service (GES), which is represented at the local level by the District Education Office.

An education reform program in 1988 began decentralisation of the education sector aimed at making the system more efficient and responsive to community needs. Decentralisation gave local government responsibility for school infrastructure and supervision of basic schools. This means that poor areas with meagre resources are further disadvantaged in providing quality education.

Education Strategic Plan

The Government’s Education Strategic Plan (2010–2020) has the following as its first two guiding principles:

Ghana is also pursuing the Millennium Development Goals and Education For All that call for all children to be in school and for girls to catch up with boys’ enrolment.

Children’s School Performance

Annual assessments of pupil performance by the Ministry of Education suggest that school children are reading well below expected levels. Not only do many pupils drop out before reaching Primary six, but also about three quarters of pupils who complete Primary six do not learn to read, nor are able to do basic arithmetic.

National Education Assessment, 2007 (Ministry of Education)

A New Approach

In April 2007, the Government launched a New Education Reform. The main goal is that children must become functionally literate and numerate by the time they complete basic education.

The Ghana Education Service is developing a National Literacy Acceleration Programme (NALAP). This work involves developing a literacy approach based on learning to read first in Ghanaian languages in order to better learn to read and write a second language - English. Using children’s own first language has been shown by research to be the most effective way for children to grasp reading skills.