Education system in Ghana

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Education in Ghana

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Education in Ghana was mainly informal, and based on apprenticeship before the arrival of European settlers, who introduced a formal education system addressed to the elites. Pre-Independent Ghana was known as the Gold Coast.^[1] The economy of Pre-Colonial Gold Coast was mainly dependent on subsistence farming where farm produces were shared within households and members of each household specialized in providing their household with other necessities such as cooking utilities, shelter, home, clothing and furnitures.^[2] Trade with other households was therefore practiced in a very small scale.^[2] This has made economic activities in pre-colonial Gold Coast a family institution/customs; family owned and family controlled.^[2] As such, there was no need for employment outside the household which would have otherwise called for discipline(s), value(s) and skill(s) through a formal education system.^[3] Pre-Colonial Gold Cost therefore practiced an informal education(apprenticeship) until it was colonized and its economy became a hybrid of subsistence and formal economy.^[3]

After Ghana's Independence in 1957, Ghana's first prime minister Dr. Kwame Nkrumah led Ghana into rapid industrialization which led to lesser emphasis on agriculture and other subsistence economic activities in Ghana.^[4]The rapid industrialization in Ghana were however centered in the Southern part of Ghana ( Accra, Takoradi, Tema) therefore making most of the manufacturing and service activities centered around the southern part of Ghana.^[4][5] The rapid industrialization in Ghana saw high waves of migrations of people from rural areas that used to be actively engaged in agriculture to cities in the Southern part of Ghana in search for service and manufacturing industrial employments.^[5] Ghana's urban population increased by 23% between 1960 to 2005 and the rate of urbanization in Ghana between 2005 to 2010 was 3.6%, making Ghana's urban population(51.5%), 3% more than Ghana's rural population(48.5%).^[6]Between 1974 and 1982, agriculture dropped drastically; maize production dropped by 54%, rice by 80%, yam by 55% and cassava by 50%.^[6]

Ghana's rapid shift from an informal economyto formal economy made education an important political objective in Ghana.^[1] The magnitude of the task, as well as economic difficulties and political instabilities, have slowed down attempted reforms. The Education Act of 1987, followed by the Constitution of 1992, gave a new impulse to educational policies in the country. In 2011, the primary school net enrollment rate was 84%, described by UNICEF as "far ahead" of the Sub-Saharan average. In its 2013-14 report, the World Economic Forum ranked Ghana 46th out of 148 countries for education system quality. In 2010, Ghana's literacy rate was 71.5%, with a notable gap between men (78.3%) and women (65.3%). The Guardian newspaper disclosed in April 2015 that 90% of children in Ghana were enrolled in school, ahead of countries like Pakistan and Nigeria at 72% and 64% respectively.^[7]

Education indicators^[8] in Ghana reflect a gender gap and disparities between rural and urban areas, as well as between southern and northern parts of the country. Those disparities drive public action against illiteracy and inequities in access to education. Eliminating illiteracy has been a constant objective of Ghanaian education policies for the last 40 years; the difficulties around ensuring equitable access to education is likewise acknowledged by the authorities. Public action in both domains has yielded results judged significant but not sufficient by national experts and international organizations. Increasing the place of vocational education and training and of ICT (information and communications technology) within the education system are other clear objectives of Ghanaian policies in education.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for the administration and the coordination of public action regarding Education. Its multiple agencies handle the concrete implementation of policies, in cooperation with the local authorities (10 regional and 138 district offices). The State also manages the training of teachers. Many private and public colleges prepare applicants to pass the teacher certification exam to teach at the primary level. Two universities offer special curricula leading to secondary education teacher certification. Education represented 23% of the state expenditure in 2010; international donor support to the sector has steadily declined as the State has taken on the bulk of education funding.

Education in Ghana is divided into three phases: basic education (kindergarten, primary school, lower secondary school), secondary education (upper secondary school, technical and vocational education) and tertiary education (universities, polytechnics and colleges). Education is compulsory between the ages of four and 15 (basic education). The language of instruction is mainly English. The academic year usually runs from August to May inclusive.^[9]