Overview of the Country
Background:
- Official name: Republic of Ghana 1
- Capital: Greater Accra 1
- Location: Western Africa 1
- Population: 34,121,985 (2023) 2
- Official language: English 3
- National language: 1 (Akan) 3
- Gross Domestic Product (GDP): US$ 73.77 Billion (2023) 4
- GNI per capita, PPP (current international $): 7,370 (2023) 5
Membership of Regional Economic Communities (RECs):
Additional information:
- Ghana Statistical Service
- Profil linguistique [in French]
- Africa Regional Integration Index CEN-SAD and ECOWAS - Ghana
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Education Priorities, Policy and Strategy References
Critical sector strategic priorities include: 1
- Improved equitable access to and participation in inclusive education at all levels.
- Improved quality of teaching and learning and STEM at all levels.
- Sustainable and efficient management, financing and accountability of education service delivery.
Key References
Education Sector Plan:
- Ministry of Education, Ghana. (2018). Ghana Education Strategic Plan 2018-2030.
Education Sector Medium-Term Development Plan:
- Ministry of Education, Ghana. (2018). Education Sector Medium-Term Development Plan 2018–2021.
Early Childhood Education Policy Framework:
- Ministry of Education, Ghana. (2021). Early Childhood Education Policy Framework.
- Ministry of Education, Ghana, and UNICEF. Early Childhood Education. Indicator framework and costed implementation plan.
- Ghana Education Service. Guidelines for the Early Childhood Education Policy Implementation.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Policy:
- Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. (2017). National science, technology and innovation policy (2017–2020).
ICT Policy:
- National Communications Authority. (n.d.) Five-year Strategic Plan 2024-2028 - Abridged version.
Inclusive Education Policy:
- Ministry of Education, Ghana, and UNICEF. (2015). Inclusive Education Policy.
Gender Policy:
- Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Protection, Ghana. (2015). National Gender Policy.
Youth Policy:
- National Youth Authority, Ghana. (2022). National youth policy of Ghana: Towards an empowered youth, impacting positively on national development.
Resilience Plan:
- United Nations Development System in Ghana. (2020). Building back better from COVID-19: Common country analysis (CCA) and socio-economic response and recovery plan (SERRP). United Nations.
Climate Change Policy:
- Ministry of Environment Science, Technology and Innovation. (2013). Ghana National Climate Change Policy.
Future Education Scenario:
Additional information:
- National Statement of Commitment
- UNICEF, in collaboration with Countdown to 2030 Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescent’s Health. (2023). Early childhood development: Ghana.
- GEMR - ICT in Education Profile
- ADEA. (2024). Country Profile Report - Ghana Study on the Use of ICT in Education and Remote Learning during Crises. [upcoming]
- Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation
- EdTech Hub Work in Ghana
- Ministry of Education, Ghana, and UNICEF. (2015). Standards and guidelines for practice of inclusive education in Ghana.
- National Youth Authority
- GEMR – Climate Change Communication and Education Profile
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- Ministry of Education, Ghana. (2018). Ghana Education Strategic Plan 2018-2030.
Governance and Structure
Governance structure for education:
Ministry of Education (MoE) is responsible for all policies on education, including apprenticeships and wider skills acquisition, and oversees several bodies including:
- Ghana Education Service (GES) implements pre-tertiary educational policies, concentrates on basic education and senior high schools.
- Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) ensures equitable access to tertiary education by formulating policies.
- National Teaching Council (NTC) licenses and registers teachers, keeps up-to-date database of teachers, develops and periodically reviews professional standards and code of ethics, conducts teacher Licensure Examination, provides framework for Continuous Professional Development (CPD) of teachers.
- National Schools Inspectorate Authority (NaSIA) has the mandate to develop, publish, promote, license all public and private pre-tertiary schools, and enforce the highest quality standards for quality education in public and private pre-tertiary educational institutions.
- National Council for Curriculum & Assessment (NaCCA) develops national curriculum and assessment standards for pre-tertiary education institutions other than technical and vocational education and training institutions
- Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) regulates, promotes and administers technical and vocational education and training for transformation and innovation for sustainable development.
The education system structure encompasses: 1
- Basic education: Free and compulsory, comprising kindergarten (two years), primary (six years), and junior high school (three years).
- Secondary education: Includes senior high schools and technical institutes.
- Tertiary education: Comprises both academic and vocational tracks.
Additionally, the system includes non-formal education (NFE), inclusive and special education, and education management.
Additional information:
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- Ministry of Education, Ghana. (2018). Ghana Education Strategic Plan 2018-2030.
Access and Participation
School age population (2023): 1
- Pre-primary: 1,687,179
- Primary: 4,998,697
- Lower secondary: 2,255,007
- Upper secondary: 2,123,248
Gros enrolment ratio (2022): 1
- Pre-primary: No data found
- Primary: 96.53
- Lower secondary: 80.97
- Upper secondary: 72.35
Completion rate: 2
- Primary: 77.80% (2021)
- Lower secondary: 53.59% (2020)
- Upper secondary: 76.14% (2020)
Out-of-school rate (2019): 2
- Primary school age: 6.93%
- Lower secondary school age: 16.14%
- Upper secondary school age: 31.23%
Additional information:
- UNESCO. (2022). Spotlight on basic education completion and foundational learning in Ghana.
- Dupas, P., Duflo, E., Kremer, M., Spelke, L., & Walsh, M. (2024). The transformative, intergenerational impacts of free secondary education: Experimental evidence from Ghana [Presentation slides]. 2024 Africa Evidence Summit, Dar Es Salaam
- The World Inequality Database on Education (WIDE) for Ghana
- Ghana Education Outcomes Project - $30 Million Initiative to Reduce Out-of-School Children
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Learning Outcomes
Learning achievement in reading: 1
- Early grades: Low proficiency, MICS, 2018 : Overall average 7%
- End of primary: rlevel1_lowsec, MICS, 2018 : Overall average 44%
Learning achievement in mathematics: 1
- Early grades: Low proficiency, MICS, 2018 : Overall average 8%
- End of primary: Low proficiency, MICS, 2018 : Overall average 27%
Learning achievement in science: 1
- End of lower secondary:
- Low proficiency, TIMSS, 2011 : Overall average 22%
- Minimum proficiency, TIMSS, 2011 : Overall average 7%
- Medium proficiency, TIMSS, 2011 : Overall average 1%
Additional information:
- ADEA, and HCA. (2024). The Foundational Learning Starter Pack.
- Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation. (2017). National science, technology and innovation policy (2017–2020).
- Ministry of Education Ghana (2020). National Pre-Tertiary Learning Assessment Framework.
- Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), and UNICEF. (2018). Ghana 2017-18 MICS survey findings report.
- Ministry of Education, Ghana, and UNICEF. (2020). Ghana education fact sheets I 2020. Analyses for Learning and Equity Using MICS Data.
- IIEP Information Sheet Learning assessments in Ghana (2021)
- UNESCO IIEP (2022). Using Learning Assessment Data for Educational Planning in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Comparative Analysis.
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Teaching
Percentage of teachers qualified according to the national standards (2021): 1
- Pre-primary: 60.95%
- Primary: 65.52%
- Lower secondary: 76.99%
- Upper secondary: 80.57%
Percentage of teachers trained according to the national standards: 1
- Pre-primary: No data found
- Primary: No data found
- Lower secondary: No data found
- Upper secondary: No data found
Additional information:
- National Teaching Council (NTC). (2017). National Teachers' Standards for Ghana: Guidelines. Ministry of Education, Ghana.
- Institute for Educational Planning and Management (IEPA), a UNESCO Category II Centre, is a lead institute for the training and professional development of educational planners, leaders, and administrators.
- UNESCO-IICBA Ghana Education Country Brief
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School Facilities
School infrastructure and facilities / Electricity: 1
- Primary Education: 38.85 % (2021)
- Lower Secondary Education: 65.03 % (2021)
- Upper Secondary Education: 92.46 % (2020)
School infrastructure and facilities / Single‐sex basic sanitation facilities: 1
- Primary Education: 90.57 % (2017)
- Lower Secondary Education: No data found
- Upper Secondary Education: 63.36 % (2019)
Additional information:
- For more information on coverage of the learning environment, including: basic handwashing facilities, and basic drinking water: UIS Ghana Country Profile.
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TVET / TVSD
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old: 1
- Both sexes: 16.91% (2022)
- Male: 19.29%
- Female: 14.95%
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-24 years old: 1
- Both sexes: 43.83% (2022)
- Male: 46.62%
- Female: 41.22%
Proportion of 15- to 24-year-olds enrolled in vocational education: 1
- Both sexes: 1.46% (2021)
- Male: 2.15%
- Female: 0.76%
Share of youth not in employment, education or training (NEET): 2
- Both sexes: 27.7% (2022)
- Male: 25.4%
- Female: 29.9%
Number of people 15-35 years old: 3
- Total: 12,167,067 (2024)
- Employed: 6,946,179 people (57.1%)
- Unemployed: 862,645 people (7.1%)
- Inactive: 1,939,431 people (15.9%)
- Student: 2,420,030 people (19.9%)
Additional information:
- National TVET Qualifications Framework
- National Youth Authority, Ghana. (2022). National Youth Policy of Ghana: Towards an empowered youth, impacting positively on national development.
- National Youth Authority
- UNEVOC TVET Country Profile
- ILO Youth Country Briefs
- African Skills Portal for Youth Employment and Entrepreneurship (ASPYEE) - TVET Country Profile Ghana
- UNICEF. (n.d.). Generation Unlimited Ghana: Country Assessment of the Youth Ecosystem. UNICEF Ghana.
- Mastercard Foundation. (2024). Youth employment in Ghana: Working paper.
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Higher Education
Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education: 1
- Both sexes: 20.39% (2022)
- Male: 21.00%
- Female: 19.77%
Number of accredited Higher Education institutions: 2
- Total: 313
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Equity and Inclusion
Gender Parity Index (GPI) gross enrolment ratio (2022): 1
- Primary: 0.97
- Lower secondary: 1.0
- Upper secondary: 1.00
Adjusted Gender Parity Index (GPIA) gross enrolment ratio (2022): 2
- Tertiary: 0.94
Proportion of schools with adapted infrastructure and materials for students with disabilities: 2
- Primary Education: no data found
- Lower secondary: no data found
- Upper secondary: 20.43 (2019)
Additional information:
- Ministry of Education, Ghana, and UNICEF. (2015). Inclusive Education Policy.
- Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection
- The African Union International Centre for the Education of Girls and Women in Africa (AU/CIEFFA)
- Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) Chapter
- Evidence for Gender and Education Resource (EGER) Profile
- GEMR – Inclusion Profile
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Education Financing
Expenditure on education: 1
- Government expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP: 2.90% (2023)
- Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure: 12.04% (2023)
Additional information:
- Ministry of Finance, Ghana. (2023). 2023 Budget statement and economic policy.
- GEMR – Financing for Equity Profile
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Literacy
Literacy rate by age group (2020): 1
- 15+ years: 80.38%
- 15-24 years: 93.48%
- 25-64 years: 76.12%
- 65+ years: 54.65%
Literacy rate by sex (2020): 1
- Both sexes: 80.38%
- Males: 84.49%
- Females: 76.19%
Additional information:
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Educational Technology
Proportion of schools with access to internet for pedagogical purposes: 1
- Lower secondary: 18.67% (2018)
- Upper secondary: 47.33% (2019)
Proportion of secondary schools with access to computers for pedagogical purposes (2018): 1
- Lower secondary: 12.94%
- Upper secondary: 34.86%
Additional information:
- ADEA. (2024). Country Profile Report - Ghana Study on the Use of ICT in Education and Remote Learning during Crises. [upcoming]
- Ministry of Communications and Digitalisation
- National Information Technology Agency
- The GEMR Ghana Technology Profile
- EdTech Hub's initiatives in Ghana
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Education in Emergencies (EiE)
Total:
- Refugees and asylum seekers: 23,142 1
- Internally Displaced Persons due to conflict or natural disasters: 39,000 2