Education in Ghana

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Education in Ghana

Ministry of Education Ministry of Higher Education
National education budget (2018)
Budget	18% of government expenditure[1]
General details
Primary languages	English
System type	National
Literacy (2018)
Total	79.04%
Male	78.3%
Female	65.3%
Enrollment (2012/2013[2])
Total	8,329,177
Primary	Pre-primary: 1,604,505, Primary: 4,105,913, JHS: 1,452,585
Secondary	SHS and TVI: 904,212
Post secondary	261,962 (including universities: 109,278)‡
‡: statistics for 2011/2012

Education in Ghana uses a dualistic approach encompassing both formal and informal learning systems. The current formal educational system was introduced during European colonisation. However, learning systems existed prior to that. The University of Moliyili is one of the earliest learning centers in Ghana established in the 1700s.^[3][4][5] During colonisation, European settlers initially introduced a formal education system addressed to the elites^[6][7][1], while education of the average citizen was mainly informal, and based on apprenticeship. Economic activities in pre-colonial Ghana were based on farm produce shared within households and members of each household specialized in providing necessities such as cooking utilities, shelter, clothing, and furniture, and trade with other households was therefore practiced on a very small scale.^[8] As such there was no need for employment outside the household that would have otherwise called for disciplines, values, and skills through a formal education system.[2]^[9] After colonization, Ghana's economy became a hybrid of subsistence and formal economy.^[9]

Education indicators^[10] 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.^[11] Public action in both domains has yielded results judged significant but not sufficient by national experts and international organizations.^[12] Increasing vocational education and training in ICT within the education system are also emphasized in Ghanaian education policy.

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)^[13] 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.^[14]