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{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}▼
{{Multiple issues|
{{lead rewrite|date=November 2020}}
{{expand French|Éducation au Ghana|category=Articles needing translation from French Wikipedia|date=August 2023}}
}}
▲{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Infobox Education|
country name = Ghana
| agency image = Flag of Ghana.svg
| agency = [[Ministry of Education (Ghana)|Ministry of Education]] <br /> Ministry of Higher Education
| leader
| leader
| leader
| budget =
▲budget = 23% of government expenditure<ref name="World Bank">{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GB.ZS/countries/GH?display=graph|title=Public spending on education, total (% of government expenditure)|website=worldbank.org|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=15 January 2014}}</ref>|
▲budget year = 2010|
▲discretionary = |
▲primary languages = English|
▲system type = National|
| enrollment year
▲literacy year = 2010|
| enroll primary = Pre-primary: 1,604,505, Primary: 4,105,913, {{abbr|JHS|Junior High School}}: 1,452,585
▲literacy total = 71.5% |
| enroll secondary = {{abbr|SHS|Senior High School}} and {{abbr|TVI|Technical and Vocational Institute}}: 904,212
▲literacy men = 78.3% |
▲literacy women = 65.3% |
| footnotes = ‡: statistics for 2011/2012 }}▼
▲enrollment year = 2012/2013{{sfn|Ministry of Education|2013|loc=pages 9–12; table 46 (p. 78)}}|
▲enroll total = 8,329,177|
▲enroll primary = Pre-primary: 1,604,505, Primary: 4,105,913, {{abbr|JHS|Junior High School}}: 1,452,585|
▲enroll secondary={{abbr|SHS|Senior High School}} and {{abbr|TVI|Technical and Vocational Institute}}: 904,212 |
▲enroll post-secondary= 261,962 (including universities: 109,278)<sup>‡</sup>|
▲footnotes =‡: statistics for 2011/2012 }}
Education indicators<ref>{{Cite web |date=27 November 2016 |title=Ghana |url=https://uis.unesco.org/country/GH |access-date=9 February 2018 |website=uis.unesco.org |language=en}}</ref> in Ghana reflect disparities between gender, rural and urban areas, and the Southern and Northern parts of the country. These disparities drive public action against illiteracy and inequities in access to education. Eliminating illiteracy has been a key objective of Ghanaian education policy for the last 40 years, and the difficulty of ensuring equitable access to education is likewise acknowledged by authorities.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Education in Ghana {{!}} K12 Academics|url=https://www.k12academics.com/Education%20Worldwide/education-ghana|last=Glavin|first=Chris|date=6 February 2017|website=www.k12academics.com|language=en|access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref> Public action in both domains has yielded results judged significant but not sufficient by national experts and international organizations.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Forum|url=https://www.aaeafrica.org/home/forum/|date=17 August 2019|website=Association of African Entrepreneurs|language=en-US|access-date=24 May 2020|archive-date=14 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114055559/http://www.aaeafrica.org/home/forum/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Increasing vocational education and training in [[Information and communications technology|ICT]] within the education system are also emphasized in Ghanaian education policy.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries |url=https://humanrightsmeasurement.org/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=humanrightsmeasurement.org}}</ref> finds that when taking into consideration Ghana's income level, the nation is achieving 76.2% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education but only 65.1% for secondary education.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ghana - HRMI Rights Tracker |url=https://rightstracker.org/ |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=rightstracker.org |language=en}}</ref>
==History==
===Castle schools===
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In 1765, [[Philip Quaque]] set up a school in his house at [[Cape Coast]] which later became the first formal elementary school in Ghana. The Philip Quaque Boys School has produced several notable graduates such as; former Speaker of Parliament, [[Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes|Ebenezer Begyina Sekyi Hughes]], former Chief of Staff under ex-President [[Jerry Rawlings|Jerry John Rawlings]]’ administration, [[Nana Ato Dadzie]], and Oguaa Omanhen, [[Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II|Osabarima Kwesi Atta II]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Philip Quaque School carries history of Ghana's education|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/philip-quaque-school-carries-history-of-ghana-s-education.html|access-date=24 January 2021|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb}}</ref> The school's motto, written in [[Fante dialect]], is "Nyansa ahyese ne Nyamesuro" which translates as "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom."<ref name="ghanaweb.com"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.graphic.com.gh/features/features/philip-quaque-school-carries-history-of-ghana-s-education.html|title=Philip Quaque School carries history of Ghana's education|website=Graphic Online|language=en-gb|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/First-School-In-Ghana-In-Ruins-82979|title=First School In Ghana In Ruins|website=www.ghanaweb.com|date=30 November 2001|language=en|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>
===
After settling in [[Kumasi]] in 1807, Muhammed al-Ghamba – the head of the Muslim community of the [[Ashanti Empire]], built a school in the early 19th century.<ref>{{cite book | url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5oCws-rwwNwC&dq=Osei+Bonsu+Muslim+school&pg=PA204 | title= Religion in a Pluralistic Society: Essays Presented to Christian Goncalves Kwami Baeta in Celebration of His Retirement from the Service of the University of Ghana, September 1971, by Friends and Colleagues Scattered Over the Globe |author= John S. Pobee|author-link=John S. Pobee | pages=203–204| publisher= [[Brill Publishers]] |isbn= 9789004045569|date= 1976}}</ref> By 1819, the school had accommodated 70 students with [[Asantehene]] [[Osei Bonsu]] serving as the [[patron]] of the school.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T890Drkv9AoC&dq=Osei+Bonsu+Muslim+school&pg=PA109|last=Muller|first=Louise |year=2013|title=Religion and Chieftaincy in Ghana: An Explanation of the Persistence of a Traditional Political Institution in West Africa|pages=108–109|publisher=[[LIT Verlag]] |isbn=9783643903600}}</ref> The 19th century saw the increasing influence of [[Missionary|missionaries]]. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, [[Accra]], Anomabu, Dixcove, Akropong, and all along the coast between the 1830s and 1850s.
By the turn of the century, Great Britain had gained influence over Ghanaian territories that led to the establishment of the Gold Coast Colony in 1874.<ref name="history">{{cite web | url=http://www.marines.mil/Portals/59/Publications/Ghana%20Study_1.pdf | title=Ghana, a country study | publisher=Federal Research Division Library of Congress | date=November 1994 | access-date=25 September 2014}}</ref> With it came a growing number of mission schools and merchant companies, the Wesleyan and the [[Basel Mission|Basel]] missions being the most prominent.<ref name="colonial">{{cite book | title=The History of Education in Ghana: From the earliest time to the declaration of independence | publisher=F. Cass | date=1971 | author=C. K. Graham | pages=181–185}}</ref> The Wesleyan mission stayed on the coasts with English as their main language. The Basel mission expanded deeper inland and used vernacular languages as the medium of proselytizing.<ref name="colonial" /> With the support of the British government, missions flourished in a heavily decentralized system that left considerable room for pedagogical freedom. Missions remained the main provider of formal education until independence.<ref name="AEHN" /> Under colonial rule, formal education remained the privilege of the few.<ref name="colonial" />
[[File:The National Archives UK - CO 1069-46-19.jpg|thumb|January 1957: students with a senior tutor outside Legon Hall, one of the Halls of Residence at the University College of the Gold Coast (now the [[University of Ghana]]) near Accra]]
Ghana obtained its independence in 1957. The new government of Nkrumah described education as the key to the future and announced a high-level university providing an "African point of view", backed by a free universal basic education.<ref name="kwame">{{cite web | url=http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/50%20Years%20of%20Educational_Progress_%20in_Ghana.pdf | title=Educational Expansion and Access in Ghana: A Review of 50 Years of Challenge and Progress | publisher=Centre for International Education, University of Sussex | access-date=25 September 2014 | author=Kwame Akyeampong}}</ref> In 1961, the Education Act introduced the principle of free and compulsory primary education, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology was established.<ref name="IBE2">{{cite web | url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2004/ghana.pdf | title=The development of Education, National report of Ghana | publisher=UNESCO-IBE | date=2004 | access-date=13 June 2014 | author=Ghana Education Service (GES) | page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~univghana/ghanahed.htm | title=The universities in Ghana | publisher=The Commonwealth Universities Year Book | date=1997–1998 | access-date=25 September 2014 | author=Daniel, G. F.}}</ref> As a result, the enrollment{{Of what|date=January 2021}} almost doubled the next year.<ref name="CEPA">{{cite web |url=http://cepa.org.gh/researchpapers/BASIC%20EDUCATION%20IN%20GHANA%20IN%20THE%20POST1.pdf| title=Basic Education in Ghana in the post-reform period | publisher=Center for Policy Analysis (CEPA) | date=2000 | author=Abena D. Oduro}}</ref> This sudden expansion was, however, hard to handle; Ghana quickly fell short of trained teachers<ref>{{cite web | url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001329/132959eo.pdf | title=International Year Book of Education | publisher=UNESCO-IBE | date=1969 | access-date=13 June 2014 | page=79}}</ref> and the quality of the curriculum (specifically in English and Mathematics) was questioned.<ref name="CEPA"/> The fall of Nkrumah in 1966 was followed by stronger criticisms toward the expansion of education at the cost of quality.<ref name="kwame"/> Despite the rapid increase of school infrastructure, enrollment slowly declined until 1973.<ref name="CEPA"/> The year 1974 saw attempts at reforms. Following the Dozbo committee report, they{{Who|date=January 2021}} followed two goals: reducing the length of pre-tertiary education (which led to the creation of a primary/junior/senior school system)<ref name="cambridge">{{cite web | url=http://ceid.educ.cam.ac.uk/publications/WP16.pdf | title=The financing and outcomes of Education in Ghana | publisher=University of Cambridge | access-date=13 June 2014 |author1=Nii Moi Thompson |author2=Leslie Casely-Hayford | pages=9–14}}</ref> and modifying programmes to promote more practical lessons at school.<ref name="qualityed"/><ref name="CEPA"/> These reforms were only partially implemented due to financial limitations and political instability.<ref name="qualityed"/><ref name="CEPA"/><ref name="cambridge"/> The country's economic situation worsened at the beginning of the 1980s.<ref name="kwame"/><ref name="cambridge"/> Suffering an economic downturn, the country was failing at solving the deficit of teachers, maintaining school infrastructure, and convincing parents to send their children into school instead of the workforce.<ref name="CEPA"/><ref name="CCE">{{cite web | url=http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/cce/publications/CCE_Report_No3-Ghana_LivingTheColonialLegacy.pdf | title=Living with the colonial legacy: The Ghana story | publisher=Center for Common Wealth Education | date=October 2010 | access-date=13 June 2014 | author=John Macbeath | page=2}}</ref> The [[Gross Enrolment Ratio]] (GER) dropped sharper in response, falling below 70% in 1985.<ref name="CEPA"/>▼
=== 20th–21st century ===
The year 1987 marked the beginning of a new series of reforms: the military coup of [[Jerry Rawlings]] in 1981 had been followed by a period of relative political stability and opened the way to broader international support.<ref name="kwame"/> The Rawlings government had gathered enough funds from numerous countries and international organizations (including the [[World Bank]]) to afford massive changes to the education system.<ref name="cambridge"/> The 1987 Education Act aimed at turning the 1974 Dozbo committee's measures into reality:<ref name="cambridge"/> a national literacy campaign was launched,<ref name="CCE"/> pre-tertiary education was reduced from 17 to 12 years and vocational education appeared in junior high schools.<ref name="cambridge"/> Education was made compulsory from the ages of 6 to 14. The reform succeeded in imposing a new education structure, as well as in increasing enrollment and the number of schools.<ref name="cambridge2">{{cite web | url=http://ceid.educ.cam.ac.uk/publications/WP16.pdf | title=The financing and outcomes of Education in Ghana | publisher=University of Cambridge | access-date=13 June 2014 |author1=Nii Moi Thompson |author2=Leslie Casely-Hayford | page=26}}</ref> Yet the promise of universal access to basic education was not fulfilled.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://resources.norrag.org/resource/view/40/162 | title=Critical Perspectives on Education and skills in eastern Africa on basic and post-basic Levels | publisher=NORRAG | date=2003 | access-date=13 June 2014 | author=Joshua J.K. Baku, ERNWACA}}</ref> Vocational programmes were also considered a failure.<ref name="cambridge2"/> The return to constitutional rule in 1992, still under Rawlings government, gave a new impulse by reclaiming the duty of the state to provide a free and compulsory basic education for all.<ref name="IBE">{{cite web | url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Ghana.pdf | title=World Data on Education | publisher=UNESCO-IBE | date=September 2010 | access-date=13 June 2014 | page=3}}</ref> The local government Act of 1993 initiated the decentralization in education administration, by transferring power to district assemblies.<ref name="IBE"/> The Free, Compulsory and Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) provided an action plan for the period 1996–2005, focusing on bridging the gender gap in primary schools, improving teaching materials, and improving teachers' living conditions.<ref name="cambridge"/> It was later completed through acts like the creation of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in 2006 (to promote vocational education), and the founding of the national accreditation board in 2007, introducing a national accreditation for all tertiary level institutions.<ref name="IBE"/> In 2007–08, the two years in kindergarten were added to the FCUBE (which is now from the ages of 4 to 14).<ref name="IBE"/>▼
▲Ghana obtained its independence in 1957. The new government of Nkrumah described education as the key to the future and announced a high-level university providing an "African point of view", backed by a free universal basic education.<ref name="kwame">{{cite web | url=http://www.create-rpc.org/pdf_documents/50%20Years%20of%20Educational_Progress_%20in_Ghana.pdf | title=Educational Expansion and Access in Ghana: A Review of 50 Years of Challenge and Progress | publisher=Centre for International Education, University of Sussex | access-date=25 September 2014 | author=Kwame Akyeampong}}</ref> In 1961, the Education Act introduced the principle of free and compulsory primary education, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology was established.<ref name="IBE2">{{cite web | url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2004/ghana.pdf | title=The development of Education, National report of Ghana | publisher=UNESCO-IBE | date=2004 | access-date=13 June 2014 | author=Ghana Education Service (GES) | page=2 | archive-date=31 July 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230731203731/https://www.ibe.unesco.org/National_Reports/ICE_2004/ghana.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~univghana/ghanahed.htm | title=The universities in Ghana | publisher=The Commonwealth Universities Year Book | date=1997–1998 | access-date=25 September 2014 | author=Daniel, G. F.}}</ref> As a result, the enrollment{{Of what|date=January 2021}} almost doubled the next year.<ref name="CEPA">{{cite web |url=http://cepa.org.gh/researchpapers/BASIC%20EDUCATION%20IN%20GHANA%20IN%20THE%20POST1.pdf| title=Basic Education in Ghana in the post-reform period | publisher=Center for Policy Analysis (CEPA) | date=2000 | author=Abena D. Oduro}}</ref> This sudden expansion was, however, hard to handle; Ghana quickly fell short of trained teachers<ref>{{cite web | url=http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0013/001329/132959eo.pdf | title=International Year Book of Education | publisher=UNESCO-IBE | date=1969 | access-date=13 June 2014 | page=79}}</ref> and the quality of the curriculum (specifically in English and Mathematics) was questioned.<ref name="CEPA"/> The fall of Nkrumah in 1966 was followed by stronger criticisms toward the expansion of education at the cost of quality.<ref name="kwame"/> Despite the rapid increase of school infrastructure, enrollment slowly declined until 1973.<ref name="CEPA"/> The year 1974 saw attempts at reforms. Following the Dozbo committee report, they{{Who|date=January 2021}} followed two goals: reducing the length of pre-tertiary education (which led to the creation of a primary/junior/senior school system)<ref name="cambridge">{{cite web | url=http://ceid.educ.cam.ac.uk/publications/WP16.pdf | title=The financing and outcomes of Education in Ghana | publisher=University of Cambridge | access-date=13 June 2014 |author1=Nii Moi Thompson |author2=Leslie Casely-Hayford | pages=9–14}}</ref> and modifying programmes to promote more practical lessons at school.<ref name="qualityed"/><ref name="CEPA"/> These reforms were only partially implemented due to financial limitations and political instability.<ref name="qualityed"/><ref name="CEPA"/><ref name="cambridge"/> The country's economic situation worsened at the beginning of the 1980s.<ref name="kwame"/><ref name="cambridge"/> Suffering an economic downturn, the country was failing at solving the deficit of teachers, maintaining school infrastructure, and convincing parents to send their children into school instead of the workforce.<ref name="CEPA"/><ref name="CCE">{{cite web | url=http://www.educ.cam.ac.uk/centres/cce/publications/CCE_Report_No3-Ghana_LivingTheColonialLegacy.pdf | title=Living with the colonial legacy: The Ghana story | publisher=Center for Common Wealth Education | date=October 2010 | access-date=13 June 2014 | author=John Macbeath | page=2}}</ref> The [[Gross Enrolment Ratio]] (GER) dropped sharper in response, falling below 70% in 1985.<ref name="CEPA"/>
▲The year 1987 marked the beginning of a new series of reforms: the military coup of [[Jerry Rawlings]] in 1981 had been followed by a period of relative political stability and opened the way to broader international support.<ref name="kwame"/> The Rawlings government had gathered enough funds from numerous countries and international organizations (including the [[World Bank]]) to afford massive changes to the education system.<ref name="cambridge"/> The 1987 Education Act aimed at turning the 1974 Dozbo committee's measures into reality:<ref name="cambridge"/> a national literacy campaign was launched,<ref name="CCE"/> pre-tertiary education was reduced from 17 to 12 years and vocational education appeared in junior high schools.<ref name="cambridge"/> Education was made compulsory from the ages of 6 to 14. The reform succeeded in imposing a new education structure, as well as in increasing enrollment and the number of schools.<ref name="cambridge2">{{cite web | url=http://ceid.educ.cam.ac.uk/publications/WP16.pdf | title=The financing and outcomes of Education in Ghana | publisher=University of Cambridge | access-date=13 June 2014 |author1=Nii Moi Thompson |author2=Leslie Casely-Hayford | page=26}}</ref> Yet the promise of universal access to basic education was not fulfilled.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://resources.norrag.org/resource/view/40/162 | title=Critical Perspectives on Education and skills in eastern Africa on basic and post-basic Levels | publisher=NORRAG | date=2003 | access-date=13 June 2014 | author=Joshua J.K. Baku, ERNWACA}}</ref> Vocational programmes were also considered a failure.<ref name="cambridge2"/> The return to constitutional rule in 1992, still under Rawlings government, gave a new impulse by reclaiming the duty of the state to provide a free and compulsory basic education for all.<ref name="IBE">{{cite web | url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Ghana.pdf | title=World Data on Education | publisher=UNESCO-IBE | date=September 2010 | access-date=13 June 2014 | page=3 | archive-date=14 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314095728/http://www.ibe.unesco.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Publications/WDE/2010/pdf-versions/Ghana.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref> The local government Act of 1993 initiated the decentralization in education administration, by transferring power to district assemblies.<ref name="IBE"/> The Free, Compulsory and Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) provided an action plan for the period 1996–2005, focusing on bridging the gender gap in primary schools, improving teaching materials, and improving teachers' living conditions.<ref name="cambridge"/> It was later completed through acts like the creation of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training in 2006 (to promote vocational education), and the founding of the national accreditation board in 2007, introducing a national accreditation for all tertiary level institutions.<ref name="IBE"/> In 2007–08, the two years in kindergarten were added to the FCUBE (which is now from the ages of 4 to 14).<ref name="IBE"/>
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Ghana scored 1 on the [[UNESCO]] [[Gender Parity Index]] (GPI) for Primary and Secondary school levels in 2013.<ref name="news.myjoyonline.com">{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ENR.PRSC.FM.ZS |title=Ratio of girls to boys in primary and secondary education (%)|website= data.worldbank.org|access-date=21 July 2013}}</ref> The adult (15 and older) literacy rate in Ghana was 79.04% in 2018, with males at 83.53% and females at 74.47%.<ref name="Field listing: Literacy">{{cite web |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.LITR.ZS?locations=GH |title=Literacy rate Ghana |date=October 2020 |website=data.worldbank.org}}</ref> Ghana's rapid shift from an [[informal economy]] to a formal economy made education an important political objective.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/11595/1/Jack_Lord,_Child_Labor_in_the_Gold_Coast.pdf|doi=10.1353/hcy.2011.0005|title=Child Labor in the Gold Coast: The Economics of Work, Education, and the Family in Late-Colonial African Childhoods, c. 1940–57|journal=The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth|volume=4|pages=88–115|year=2011|last1=Lord|first1=Jack|s2cid=143683964}}</ref> 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 Africa|sub-Saharan]] average.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Making tertiary education free: a priority of all university students|url=https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/features/Making-tertiary-education-free-a-priority-of-all-university-students-646753|website=www.ghanaweb.com|language=en|access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref> 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%).<ref>{{Cite web|title=A Charity that Empowers Children to dream|url=https://eddiesteddies.org/our-projects|website=Eddies Teddies|language=en-US|access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref> 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.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/apr/07/ghana-global-education-campaign-young-ambassadors-visit-ghanaian-school | title=Almost 90% of Ghana's children are now in school | work=Theguardian.com | date=7 April 2015 | access-date= 7 April 2015 | author=Rustin, Susanna}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=F.I.R.E – Project Ghana|url=https://fireprojectghana.com/|website=F.I.R.E – Project Ghana|language=en|access-date=24 May 2020}}</ref> The literacy rate of males and females aged 15–24 in Ghana was 81% in 2010, with males at 82%,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.MA.ZS/countries|title=Literacy rate, youth male (% of males ages 15–24) |website=worldbank.org|publisher=[[World Bank]]|access-date=29 July 2013}}</ref> and females at 80%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.ADT.1524.LT.FE.ZS|title=Literacy rate, youth female (% of females ages 15–24) |website=worldbank.org|publisher=World Bank |access-date=29 July 2013}}</ref>
Since 2008, enrollment has continually increased at all levels of education (pre-primary, primary, secondary, and tertiary education).{{sfn|Ministry of Education|2013|loc=Table (p. 9), Table 6 (p. 30), Table 46 (p. 48)}} With 84% of its children in primary school, Ghana has a school enrollment "far ahead" of its sub-Saharan neighbors.<ref name="UNICEF – Basic Education and Gender Equality">{{cite web |url=http://www.unicef.org/wcaro/wcaro_GHA_MTSP2.pdf |title=UNICEF – Basic Education and Gender Equality |website=
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===Overview===
[[File:Ghana Education Structure.gif|thumb|right|550px|
The Ghanaian education system is divided in three parts: basic education, secondary education, and tertiary education. The academic year usually goes from August to May inclusive{{sfn|NUFFIC|2013|pages=4–5}} and lasts 40 weeks in primary and senior high school, and 45 weeks in junior high school.{{sfn|NUFFIC|2013|p=5}} Lessons are taught primarily in English.
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}}
Tertiary education in Ghana has been notably growing during the last twenty years, both in terms of enrollment and institutions.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=2}} A substantial part of this development come from the private sector.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=2}}<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE47/English/Natreps/reports/ghana.pdf | title=The development of Education: National report of Ghana | publisher=IBE | date=2004 | access-date=23 May 2014 | archive-date=20 August 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820010306/http://www.ibe.unesco.org/International/ICE47/English/Natreps/reports/ghana.pdf | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.nab.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=60&Itemid=185&limitstart=30 "Ghana private tertiary institutions offering degree program"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002212350/http://www.nab.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=60&Itemid=185&limitstart=30 |date=2 October 2013 }} Retrieved 2 January 2011.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nab.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=65&Itemid=193 | title=Private Colleges of Education | publisher=National Accreditation Board (NAB) | access-date=23 May 2014 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20140523154620/http://www.nab.gov.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=65&Itemid=193 | archive-date=23 May 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
Universities (6 public and 49 private institutions){{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=2}} offer an academic education, from [[Bachelor's degree|bachelor]] to PhD. Students are admitted based on their performance at the [[West African Senior School Certificate Examination|WASSCE]] – a maximum of 24 points is generally required to apply to a bachelor's degree programme (see "Grading system" below). A bachelor's degree is usually completed after four years of majoring in a specific field.{{sfn|NUFFIC|2013|pages=9–10}} Master's degrees are of two sorts: a one-year programme concluded with a final paper based on a literature study, or a two-year programme, concluded with a final paper based on one year of independent research.{{sfn|NUFFIC|2013|pages=9–10}} Both can lead to a PhD, usually achieved in three years within a doctoral programme.{{sfn|NUFFIC|2013|pages=9–10}}
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Ghana also possesses many "colleges of education", public or private.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=2}} They are usually specialized in one field – colleges of agriculture, nurse training colleges, teacher training colleges, etc.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=2}}
New tertiary education graduates have to serve one year within the National Service. Participants can serve in one of the following seven sectors: agriculture, health, education, local government, rural development, military or youth programmes<ref name="ICICP">{{cite web|date=2012|title=Country profile: Ghana|url=http://dev.icicp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ghana-Country-Profile-.pdf|access-date=28 July 2014|publisher=International Association for National Youth Service|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102702/http://dev.icicp.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Ghana-Country-Profile-.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NSS">{{cite web|title=Mandate of the NSS|url=http://196.201.43.251/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=103|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140806212250/http://196.201.43.251/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=78&Itemid=103|archive-date=6 August 2014|access-date=28 July 2014|publisher=National Service Scheme (NSS)}}</ref>
During the coronavirus pandemic, many universities in Ghana took up [[Educational Technology]] to enable virtual learning and distance learning. While ICTs have been a part of the education system in Ghana, a 2022 survey revealed the challenges of Covid-driven virtual learning in undergraduate programs at Ghanaian public universities.Challenges included a lack of commitment from
educators and students towards virtual learning, incomplete knowledge about the learning platforms used, and poor communication between universities and students regarding the learning platforms.
'''Admission into tertiary education'''
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|-
!Agency
!Role
|-
|'''Public sector'''||
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Responsible for the provision of free textbooks for pupils in public schools, from primary 1 to 6
Responsible for the provision of supplies, equipment and
|-
|District Assemblies<td title="<nowiki>Kindergarten</nowiki>">Provide educational infrastructure</td>
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===Teacher training===
Colleges of Education (CoE) are the main teacher training institutions. Currently, there are 46 public CoE across all regions of Ghana.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=CoE Network|url=https://www.t-tel.org/coes-network|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190128141150/http://www.t-tel.org:80/coes-network |archive-date=28 January 2019 |access-date=13 January 2021|website=t-tel.org}}</ref> They offer a three-year curriculum that leads to the Diploma in Basic Education (DBE).<ref name="Teacher">{{cite journal|author1=Kwame Bediako Asare|author2=Seth Kofi Nti|date=April 2014|title=Teacher Education in Ghana: A contemporary synopsis and matters arising|
Apart from the CoE, two universities (Cape Coast and [[University of Education, Winneba|Winneba]]) also train teachers. A specific four-year bachelor's degree allows to teach in any pre-tertiary education (most graduates choose secondary education).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sussex.ac.uk/cie/projects/completed/tpa/ghana | title=Research overview: Teacher preparation and continuing professional development in Africa (TPA) | publisher=University of Sussex | date=2008 | access-date=25 July 2014}}</ref> A specific master's degree is needed for teaching in CoE.<ref name="Teacher"/> Universities also offer DBE graduates a two-year curriculum granting the right to teach in secondary education.<ref name="Teacher"/>
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===Development of technical and vocational education===
There is an informal education sector in Ghana, which is usually made up of vocational and technical training institutions. These institutions are informal because they do not take place in a classroom setting; instead, they usually take the form of apprenticeships, direct learning, practice, and supervision from trainers. There is usually no official or recognized certification or qualifications given to trainees.{{
Developing [[TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training)|TVET]] is considered a priority by central authorities to tackle poverty and unemployment.<ref name="COTVET2">{{cite web | url=http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/COTVET%20report.pdf | title=From prejudice to prestige: Vocational education and training in Ghana | publisher=Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) | date=2011 | pages=19–35 | access-date=28 May 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120812225303/http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/COTVET%20report.pdf | archive-date=12 August 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="OECD">{{cite web | url=http://www.oecd.org/dev/emea/40577770.pdf | title=Ghana country profile | publisher=OECD | date=2008 | access-date=25 July 2014 | pages=341–342}}</ref>
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===Equity in access to tertiary education===
With the national rise in enrollment in secondary schools, competition for joining institutions of higher education has also increased. In 2001, the [[University of Ghana]] admitted 96% of the relevant applications it received, whereas in 2011 the acceptance rate had fallen to 52%.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|loc=fig. 1 (p. 3)}} This increasing selectivity highlights [[educational inequality in Ghana|inequalities in Ghana]] regarding education, as women{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=fig. 3(p. 4)}} and rural Ghanaians<ref name="Sulley">{{cite book | title=Change and transformation in Ghana's publicly funded universities. Partnership for Higher Education in Africa |author1=Manuh T. |author2=Sulley G. |author3=Budu J. | publisher=Oxford, UK: James Currey and Accra | year=2007 |url=http://www.bc.edu/content/dam/files/research_sites/cihe/inhea/Manuh_etal_2007_Ghana_Public_Univ.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/8474/1/addae-mensah-says-inequalities-in-basic-education-.html | title=Addae-Mensah says inequalities in basic education system is dangerous | publisher=Modern Ghana | date=23 February 2000 | access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref> are underrepresented within tertiary school students. [[Socioeconomic status]] is also a factor of exclusion, as studying at the highest level is expensive – public universities are usually tuition-free, but charge for other services including registration, technology access, examinations, use of academic facilities, and medical services.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=9}} These charges can lead to [[self-censorship]] behaviors such as some students choosing Teacher Training Colleges (where students can receive stipends) instead of enrolling in universities.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|p=9}}
Policies have been developed to attempt to limit these inequalities. Some universities have lowered their minimum entry requirement or created scholarships for students from "less-endowed secondary schools".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=53790 | title=University of Ghana to admit students from less endowed SSS | publisher=Ghana Web | date=March 2004 | access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.modernghana.com/news/38696/1/knust-implements-scheme-for-admitting-students-fro.html | title=KNUST implements scheme for admitting students from less endowed schools | date=August 2003 | access-date=23 May 2014}}</ref> A "Girls Education unit" was created within the Ghana Education Service to reduce gender-based disparities. The unit tries to tackle the problem at its source, focusing on basic education to avoid high all-girls school drop-out rates from {{abbr|JHS|Junior High School}} to {{abbr|SHS|Senior High School}}.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.ges.gov.gh/?q=node/13 | title=Girl's Education | publisher=Ghana Education Service | access-date=24 May 2014}}</ref> Progress has been made; between 1999 and 2005, the proportion of girls in higher education has increased from 25% to 32%.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|pp=5–6}} However, women are still underrepresented, for numerous reasons, including hostile school environments, priority given to sons in poor families, the perpetuation of gender roles ("a woman belongs in the house"), early arranged marriages, teenage pregnancy, etc.{{sfn |Atuahene, Ansah|2013|pp=5–6}}
Ghanaian students of higher education are predominantly male and wealthy:
{{
On 31 March 2020, the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat launched an online scholarship application and administration system to help eliminate the inconvenience that scholarship applicants experience seeking government sponsorship in education. This system is also designed to help the Secretariat properly and efficiently provide scholarships to applicants. Applicants can apply for scholarships and take the aptitude test online and be interviewed in their own districts without having to travel to [[Accra]], as was required in the past.<ref name="AGH-20200502">{{Cite web|url=https://avenuegh.com/apply-for-scholarship-in-ghana-and-abroad-using-governments-online-application-process-www-scholarshipgh-com |title=Apply For Scholarship In Ghana And Abroad Using Government's Online Application Process |date=16 April 2020 |last=Tetteh |first=Cherko |website=Avenuegh.com |access-date=2 May 2020 }}</ref>
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[[File:Wikimedia Outreach in Ghana 6.jpeg|thumb|[[University of Ghana]] students engaged in a Wikipedia outreach]]
In the past decade, government attention has shifted to the use of computer technology in teaching and learning. The ICT ([[Information communication technology]]) standard in the education policy of Ghana requires the use of ICT for teaching and learning on all levels of the education system. Attempts have been made by the [[Ministry of Education (Ghana)|Ministry of Education]] to support institutions in the teaching of ICT literacy. Most secondary and some primary schools have computer laboratories.<ref name="Pedagogical integration of ICT: Ghana report"/> Despite the federal interest in ICT, computer access is very limited and electronic devices are often carried around by staff to ensure that they are not stolen.<ref name="Ghana's School Systems: Around the World L">{{cite web|last1=Marshall|first1=Lillie|title=Fun Facts about Ghana's School Systems|url=http://www.aroundtheworldl.com/2010/02/23/fun-facts-about-ghanas-school-system/|website=Around the World L|date=24 February 2010 |access-date=17 May 2016}}</ref>
A recent study on the pedagogical integration of ICTs from 2009 to 2011 in 10 Ghanaian schools indicates that there is a gap between policy directives and actual practices in schools. The emphasis of the official curricula is on the development of students’ skills in operating ICT equipment, but not necessarily using the technology as a means of learning subjects other than the use of the devices. The study also found that the Ministry of Education is currently attempting to deploy sufficient ICT resources to develop the needed ICT literacy required for computer skills to be integrated into teaching/learning.<ref name="Pedagogical integration of ICT: Ghana report">K. D. Mereku, I. Yidana, W. H. K. HORDZI, I. Tete-Mensah; Williams, J. B. (2009). Pedagogical integration of ICT: Ghana report. [http://www.ernwaca.org/panaf/pdf/phase-1/Ghana-PanAf_Report.pdf]</ref>
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* [[List of universities in Ghana]]
* [[List of senior secondary schools in Ghana]]
* [[List of colleges of education in Ghana]]
* [[Educate Ghana]], a government initiative
==Notes==
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* {{cite web | url=http://sgo.sagepub.com/content/3/3/2158244013497725 | title=A Descriptive Assessment of Higher Education Access, Participation, Equity, and Disparity in Ghana | publisher=SageOpen | date=23 July 2013 | access-date=23 May 2014 | author=Atuahene, Ansah}}
* {{cite web | url=http://www.nuffic.nl/en/library/country-module-ghana.pdf | title=Country Module: Ghana | author=NUFFIC | publisher=Netherlands Organisation for International Cooperation in Higher Education | date=January 2013 | access-date=25 May 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525232310/http://www.nuffic.nl/en/library/country-module-ghana.pdf | archive-date=25 May 2014 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite
==External links==
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