Ghana’s Education System
Ghana’s Education System:
GHANA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM
1.0 INTRODUCTION Ghana has since independence made significant strides in its education
system. The education landscape in Ghana today is the result of major policy initiatives in
education adopted by past governments as well as the present one. Some of the laws, policy
documents and reports, which have helped in meeting the educational needs and aspirations of
the people are:
* The Education Act of 1961
* The Dzobo Report of 1973 (Recommended the JSS Concept)
* The New Structure and Content of Education 1974
* The Education Commission Report on Basic and Secondary Education 1987/88.
* The Education Reform Programme 1987/88
* The University Relationalization Committee Report 1988
* The Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme, 1996. (1992 Constitution)
* The FCUBE Policy Document and Programme of Operations, 1996
* The Ghana Education Trust Fund – GET Fund Act 2000. (Act 581)
Indeed these initiatives have not only helped in structurally transforming the education
system but also improved considerably access, quality teaching and learning, infrastructure
delivery as well as management efficiency.2.0 BASIC EDUCATIONThe Education Reform Programme
introduced in 1987/88 and the free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) 1996
programme, have contributed immensely to the structure of Basic Education that we have today
and the achievements so far made. Basic Education now consists of 2 years of Kindergarten, 6
years Primary Education followed by 3 years Junior Secondary. 2.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF
EDUCATION REFORM PROGRAMME
* Reduction in the length of pre-tertiary education from 17 to 12 years.
* Increasing assess to education at all levels particularly at Basic and Secondary
pre-vocational training and general skill training.
* Enhance sector management and budgeting procedures.
The Education Reform Programme succeeded in solving some of the problems confronting the
sector, including the reduction of the duration of pre-tertiary education from 12-17 years
and expanding access to education. However, the sector was still beset with a number of
problems. These included the following:
* Poor quality teaching and learning.
* Weak management capacity at all levels to the educational system.
* Inadequate access to education.
2.2 FCUBE PROGRAMMEThe FCUBE launched in October 1996 is being implemented for a ten year
period (1996-2005) in fulfillment of the Fourth Republican Constitutions mandate which
states in Chapter 6/Section 38 Sub-section 2: “The Government shall within two years after
Parliament first meets after the coming into force of this Constitution draw up the
programme for implementation within the following ten years for the provision of Free
Compulsory Universal Basic Education). It was designed to address some of the shortcomings
of the educational reforms. The main objectives are:
* Expand access to good quality basic education.
* Promote efficient teaching and learning.
* Improve teacher moral and motivation through incentive programmes.
* Ensure adequate and timely supply of teaching and learning to schools.
* Improve teacher community relations.
To facilitate the attainment of these objectives, a number of programmes and interventions
are being implemented as part of holistic approach to promote expanded access a positive
building of effective assessment of pupils, the mobilization of community resources for
school development and healthy school/community relations. Some of these interventions are:
2.2.1 QUALITY IMPROVEMENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS (QUIPS)The QUIPS Programme supported by USAID
among other things helps to produce competent teachers, train education managers and
planners and promote a supportive learning environment.A Mid-Term Assessment of The QUIPS
Programme indicates that the programme is impacting positively on teaching and learning
outcomes in primary schools. Currently QUIPS is being implemented in 429 schools throughout
the country.
2.2.2 CHILD SCHOOL COMMUNITY PROGRESS IN EDUCATION (Child Scope)Child Scope is a UNICEF
sponsored programme, which is helping to improve children’s reading, writing and numeracy
skills in primary schools.
2.2.3 PERFORMANCE MONITORING TEST (PMT)/ SCHOOL PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL MEETINGThe PMT/SPAM,
which were introduced in 1998, have proved to be effective tools in monitoring, teaching and
learning outcomes in Basic Schools. The PMT is a test in English and Mathematics
administered to 25%-50% of pupils in Public Schools. The results are discussed at School
Performance Appraisal Meeting (SPAM) where parents have the opportunity to analyse the
performance of their children and map out strategies for improving their performance and
school achieving set targets.
2.2.4 DISTRICT TEACHER SUPPORT TEAM (DTST)The District Teacher Support Team (DSTS) provide
an anchor for improving the quality of teaching and learning at the district level. It
provides support to schools in the area of good practices in literacy, numeracy and problem
solving.
2.2.5 WHOLE SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT (WSD) PROGRAMMEThe WSD programme is a GES strategy for
mainstreaming all interventions for the achievements of the FCUBE objectives. Zonal
Co-coordinators have been appointed to serve as a link between pre-service and in-service
programmes. They also link District and Regional management personnel to Teacher Training
Colleges.
2.3 SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS The implementation of these programmes/interventions over the
years by the Ministry with the support of stakeholders including NGOs and the development
partners has helped to expand access, improve quality teaching and learning, improve the
supply of logistics and curricula development as well as motivate teachers.At the moment, in
the public sector there are 12,225 Primary Schools and 6,418 Junior Secondary Schools with
the total enrollment figures of 2,216,792 and 767,303 respectively. In the private education
sector, the number of pupils in private basic schools is 550,423.This year, as part of
efforts to further expand access, government has embarked on a programme to rehabilitate
3,000 Basic Schools throughout the country Six selected districts in the three Northern
regions are to benefit from ¢42 billion school construction and rehabilitation project.The
districts are:Tolon Kumbungu and Nanumba in the Northern Region, Nadoli and Wa in Upper West
and Bongo and Bawku in the Upper East. A further 58 schools are to be rehabilitated under
the GET Fund at a total cost of ¢5.1 billion. Currently the Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) for
primary is 78.6% while that of JSS is 60.9%.The Ministry is doing all that it can to reduce
considerably the over 20% children of school going age who are still out of school.The
supply of teaching and learning materials is also receiving the necessary attention. Under
the Book Scheme for Basic Schools, 5 Million Supplementary Readers and four hundred and
forty thousand Atlases were supplied to Public Schools between June 1995 and December 1999.
The scheme was extended to public Junior Secondary Schools this year as a result of which a
total of 1,316,216 supplementary readers have been supplied to Junior Secondary Schools.
Private Basic Schools and Senior Secondary Schools also have access to government procured
and printed textbooks.
2.4. DECENTRALISATION / COMMUNITY PARTICIPATIONDistrict Assemblies have the responsibility
to build, equip and maintain schools under their areas of jurisdiction. All the 110 District
Assemblies have established District Education Fund for this purpose.Subject to the approval
of District Assemblies, communities may impose special levies on their members for the
purpose of raising funds for school project. Community participation has been identified as
one of the areas that can help to improve access to basic education. To facilitate this
participation, community structures such as District Education Oversight Committee, School
Management Committee, District Education Planning Team and Parents Teacher Association have
been put in place.
3.0 SECONDARY EDUCATION The Senior Secondary School system provides further education to
eligible Junior Secondary School pupils. The objective is to help equip them with skills and
knowledge either for direct entry into the world of work or for further education. The ever
increasing number of basic school pupils has led to a corresponding increase in the number
of senior secondary schools to help meet the growing demand for secondary education. The
number of public senior secondary schools stands at 474 with a total enrolment of 232,095.To
help lay a solid foundation for science education, 110 Science Resource Centres have been
established through out the country to enable secondary schools without well equipped
science laboratory to have access to science practicals. The supply of text books in senior
secondary schools has also improved considerably, as part of the Ministry’s plan to ensure
that students have adequate text books for their studies. Another segment of secondary
education is Technical/Vocational Education. It is provided in Secondary/Technical Schools,
Technical Institutes, Vocational Schools /Training Centres and other post-basic education
training institutions. Basically, the purpose of technical and vocational education is to
equip young men and women with the technical and professional skills needed for the rapid
socio-economic development of the country. The emphasis is on training people for
self-employment. Technical and vocational education has been given a boost with the ongoing
establishment of 20 Technical/Vocational Resource Centres throughout the country (2 in each
region). At the moment Ghana can boast of 23 public technical institutes and several private
ones including Vocational Institutions. The private sector is contributing a lot in
providing quality education at the secondary level. The private second cycle schools have a
total enrolment of 90,000.
3.1 INFORMATION COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY (ICT) EDUCATIONThe ICT revolution is having
tremendous impact on the rapid development of world economies and making national economies
more interdependent than they were some years ago. The Ministry is therefore committed to
making Ghana a key player in today’s digital age. To this end, the Ministry has embarked
upon a programme to streamline computer studies in secondary schools. Already, a draft ICT
policy has been prepared and submitted to Cabinet for approval. A curriculum has also been
developed for ICT training and examination at the Senior Secondary School Certificate
Examination (SSSCE) Level. In addition, every effort is being made to provide telephone
facilities to all senior secondary schools and training colleges to enable them have access
to the Internet.
4.0 TEACHER TRAINING EDUCATIONUnder the Education Reform Programme, the 4-year Post-Middle
School Teacher Training Programme was phased out in 1991, giving way to only a 3-year Post
Secondary Programme. Quality teacher education is crucial for effective education outcomes.
To this end, facilities in all the 38 Teacher Training Colleges have been rehabilitated
under the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and K F W assistance programme.
Entry requirements into Teacher Training Colleges have been streamlined to ensure the
recruitment of students with good grades and who also have a passion for the teaching
profession. Also, under a new programme known as In-In-Out, teacher trainees are expected to
spend two years at school and use the third year for practical training in the classroom.
The Ministry is vigorously pursuing a programme to turn all the 38 Teacher Training Colleges
into diploma awarding institutions.
4.1 DISTRICT SPONSORSHIP SCHEMEThe scheme is aimed at ensuring the constant supply of
trained teachers to rural/deprived areas. Districts experiencing difficulties in meeting
their needs for qualified teachers are allowed to sponsor candidates for training. It is
incumbent upon such students to teach in Districts that sponsor them for at least 3 years.
Most rural areas have benefited greatly from the scheme.
5.0 GIRL-CHILD EDUCATIONIn 1997, the Ministry of Education established the Girls Education
Unit of the GES to increase girl’s enrolment in schools to equal that of boys by the year
2005. It was also tasked to reduce the dropout rate for girls from 30% to 20% in the primary
schools and in the JSS from 29% to 15%. Considerable progress has been made in this area.
For example while in 1990/91 girls enrolment at the Primary level was 45%, the percentage in
2000/2001 was 47.2%. That of the JSS went up to 45.3% in 2000/2001 from 40.8% in 1990/91
while at the secondary education level it improved considerably from 33.0% in 1990/91 to 41%
in 2000/2001. The Science Technology, Mathematics Education (STME) clinic for girls was
instituted in 1987 to promote the interest of girls in Science Technology and Mathematics
education and also, enable them to interact with women scientists and technologists. The
clinics were decentralised to the district level in 1997 and has resulted in an increase in
the number of girls pursuing science and technology related courses in our secondary schools
as well as the universities. The Ministry will soon launch a Girl Child Education programme
under which infrastructure in selected female institutions will be rehabilitated and
expanded in order to improve access. In addition, the Girl Child Scholarship programme began
last year (2001) by the Ghana Education Service and will continue to enjoy support from the
GET Fund. With the appointment of a Minister of State for Primary, Secondary and Girl-Child
Education, sufficient awareness has been created among parents on the need to educate their
girl-child.
6.0 TERTIARY EDUCATIONTertiary Education Reforms were launched in 1991 with the
publication of a Government White Paper on the University Rationalisation Committee Report.
The White Paper on Tertiary Education redefined higher education to include Universities,
Polytechnics, and Teacher Training Colleges etc., indeed all-formal education beyond the
SSS. The major objective of the Tertiary Education Reforms was to expand access, improve
quality teaching and learning and provide the much-needed infrastructural base for
accelerated technical manpower delivery for sustainable economic development. At the moment,
there are 38 public Post Secondary Teacher Training colleges, 10 Polytechnics (one in each
region) and 6 Universities. The universities are: the University of Ghana, Legon, the Kwame
Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, the University of Cape Coast, the
University for Development Studies, the University College of Education, Winneba and the
Western University College, Tarkwa. In addition to these, the National Accreditation Board
has accredited ten (10) private universities and university type institutions that are
offering quality programmes for the benefits of students. The Board has also accredited nine
(9) tutorial professional colleges (which prepare students to take examination of accredited
(recognized) professional bodies within and outside Ghana); and two (2) distance
education-learning centres that represent accredited universities outside Ghana. Enrolment
in all tertiary institutions has improved considerably. For example enrolment in the 38
Teacher Training College increased from 18,955 in 1993/94 to 21, 410 in 2000/2001. In the
case of the Polytechnics the enrolment figure of 1,299 for 1993/94 increased to 18,474 in
2000/2001 while that of five public universities went up from 15,365 1993/94 to 40,673 in
2000/2001. The Ministry is determined to assist the Polytechnics to develop highly skilled
middle-level manpower for the nation’s socio economic development. To this end Polytechnics
are being encouraged to introduced Post HND and Bachelor of Technology programmes. Already
the Takoradi Polytechnic has concluded plans to start a Bachelor of Technology Degree in
commercial arts and marketing, purchasing and supply in the 2003/2004 academic year. To
improve the capacity and qualifications of teaching staff, arrangements are being worked out
with local and foreign universities to give special consideration to staff of polytechnics
for special grants. Physical infrastructure namely in the area of office, residential and
classroom accommodation ,libraries, laboratory facilities as well as tools and equipment
supply in all tertiary institutions have shown considerable improvement.
7.0 FUNCTIONAL
LITERACY PROGRAMME The non-formal Education Division of the Ministry was established in 1991
and tasked to carry out the eradication of illiteracy in Ghana by the year 2011. The first
phase of the Functional Literacy Programme has reduced national illiteracy rate from 69% to
52%. Government with support of the World Bank is committed to reducing the rate further to
below 40% under the second phase (2000-2005). 8.0 THE WAY FORWARD Quality education delivery
remains Ghana’s hope of reducing the high level of poverty in the society as well as
becoming competitive in today’s knowledge driven globalized economy. In spite of the fact
that Ghana’s education system has come far and made the nation what it is today, the
increasing challenges of the twenty-first century demand that we reengineer our education
system to make it more responsive to national goals and aspirations as well as global
demands. This is the task before the Education Sector Review Committee and the Presidential
Review Committee on Education. 8.1 EDUCATION SECTOR REVIEW COMMITTEE The Education Sector
Review Committee is a Ministry of Education/GES initiative aimed at addressing the weak
management capacity within the education sector (resulting in inefficient utilization of
resources, inadequate provision of infrastructure facilities and requisite teaching and
learning materials due to poor national economic climate) and unsatisfactory conditions of
service for teachers and other personnel of the sector.The terms of Reference of the
Committee are:
* Consider modification of existing policy and strategy
* Examine the subsystems in education sector and their linkages
* Analyse education outcomes (Access/Efficiency, Quality/Relevance and Equity)
* Determine how best to improve Community/School Relationship
* Examine management and financing (within the context of decentralization)
8.2 PRESIDENTIAL REVIEW COMMITTEE ON EDUCATIONThe Terms of Reference of this committee on
the other hand are:
* Examining the goals and philosophy of the present education system with a view to
ensuring their relevance to the development of human resources for the nation in the light
of new challenges facing the nation
* Determine how best to mainstream pre-school education into the formal education system
* Re-examine the basic school system
* Determine the restructuring of post basic education.
* Examine the emphases given to vocational and technical education and the links to
polytechnics and the world of work
* Examine the role of polytechnics in the production of middle and high level human
capital for the country.
* Examine tertiary education including alternative ways of increasing access to tertiary
education.
* Examine distance learning using ICT as a mode of instruction at the basic and
secondary levels.
* Determine strategies for the introduction of information technology in all schools and
colleges.
* Consider strategies for the professional development of all actors in education
(teachers, instructors, lectures and administrators etc)
9.0 CONCLUSIONGovernment’s determination to adopt a holistic approach to the development of
education within the framework of mobilizing all available resources – human, material and
financial is gradually yielding positive result. Poverty, which has been identified as a
major barrier to education, is being addressed through the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy.
(GPRS) which seeks to provide and enable environment that empower all Ghanaians to
participate in wealth creation. Ghana, in spite of severe economic constraints will continue
to remain committed to efforts aimed at putting in place an efficient, credible and
sustainable education system that will make the nation competitive in today’s globalised
economy which is increasingly becoming knowledge-driven.
Credit: Ghana Government Home Page
