In the lead-up to Ghana's national elections on December 7, much of the political debate among the candidates focussed on education. But no matter which national party Ghanaians endorse, it would be a rare person who doesn't agree that comprehensive education of children and youth is key to Ghana's continuing development and economic growth and the well-being of its citizens. Among other things, education helps people increase their income and overcome poverty, is a means of improving health and nutrition and reducing family size, and enhances people's dignity, sense of self worth, confidence, and hope for the future. Since Ghana gained independence in 1957, the Government of Ghana has officially regarded education as a fundamental human right. The 1961 Education Act states that "every child who has attained the school going age as determined by the Minister shall attend a course of instruction as laid down by the Minister in a school recognised for the purpose by the Minister" (Ghana Legal). But who pays for this education?
Many international agreements make it clear that the state has a responsibility to provide free basic education. Article 28 of the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child (OHCHR) declares that "The child has a right to education, and the State's duty is to ensure that primary education is free and compulsory, to encourage different forms of secondary education accessible to every child and to make higher education available to all on the basis of capacity." The second Millennium Development Goal, to achieve universal primary education, aims to "ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling" (UN), implying that this schooling is not financially prohibitive for anyone. Education for All, an international initiative supported by national governments, civil society groups, and development agencies, has as one of its six goals to "Ensure that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, those in difficult circumstances, and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete, free and compulsory primary education of good quality" (The World Bank, Education).
The 1992 Republican Constitution of Ghana committed Ghana to the principle of free universal basic education and gave this commitment some substance by establishing a time-frame. Article 38(2) of the Constitution states that "The Government shall within two years after Parliament first meets after coming into force of this Constitution draw up a program for the implementation within the following ten years for the provision of a free, compulsory universal basic education. (Government of Ghana 1992).
The 10-year Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme (FCUBE) emerged from this constitutional mandate in 1996, with the three goals of improving the quality of teaching and learning across the Ghanaian educational system, improving management efficiency, and increasing access to and sustained participation in schooling. Since then, the "Capitation Grant", which removes some of the barriers that poor families face when considering schooling for their children (mainly by eliminating primary school tuition fees), has improved school access and participation. However, many poor families still cannot afford to pay incidental school fees and buy the required school uniforms and books for their school-age children, so these children do not attend school.
High school education is not free in Ghana. Day students must pay tuition fees that run about $85 per term, while boarding students pay about $175 per term. Families that earn a dollar or two a day cannot hope to send their children to high school unless scholarships are available. Much of the recent national election debate revolved around how quickly the government of Ghana could take on the cost of secondary education. The 2012 Manifesto of the re-elected National Democratic Congress declares the party's commitment to the progressive introduction of free secondary, in compliance with the constitution (p. 20). In his October speech to launch the manifesto, President Mahama promised to accelerate the provision of free secondary education by building 200 new high schools and 10 new teacher training centres by 2016 (Frikmpong).
In 2008, the most recent year for which data are available, Ghana spent 5.7% of its GDP on education (World Bank). Compare this with 5.4% by Canada and 5.5% by the U.S. Educational spending accounted for 24.38% of Ghana's government expenditures in 2010, the highest share spent to that point, but even this amount is not enough to support universal education through to the end of secondary school.
Although the country is richly endowed with natural resources such as gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, and fish, Ghana still relies on foreign assistance, particularly from Canada, Japan, and Germany, to fund its educational policies and programs. However, an analysis for UNESCO's recently released EFA Global Monitoring Report (October 2012) determined that Ghana was among the 17 countries that are resource-rich enough to bring an end to donor assistance. The analysis is referring in part to the fact that Ghana discovered offshore oil and gas in 2007, which went into production in 2010 and is bringing new wealth to Ghana (Pittsburg Post-Gazette). It suggests that "If revenue generated from their non-renewable natural resources were maximized and 20% of the extra resources were devoted to education", the majority of Ghana's out-of-school children and adolescents could be schooled.
It may take several years before education is free and accessible to everyone in Ghana. In the mean time, GHEI's scholarship program ensures that selected students can go on to complete their high school education. Our community library helps fill the gap in educational resources by offering textbooks, and provides a quiet place to read and study. Both our Early Childhood Literacy program and Youth Education Program (YEP) provide supplemental classes for those students who are falling behind in school, ensuring that many more children will stay in school and gain the education they need for a more prosperous and secure future. Even in practical ways, GHEI is there to help, supplying YEP students with school materials such as pens, pencils, notebooks and backpacks to equip them in the learning process.
Ghana is a leader in education among African nations, but there is still much to accomplish on the road to free and equitable education for all children and youth. GHEI is working very hard in its educational programming to ensure that Humjibre's children and youth have every opportunity to reach their educational potential and join the front ranks of Ghana's developing work force and leadership.
Sources:
Frikmpong, Enoch Darfah. 4 October 2012. NDC Manifesto Launch: 200 New SHS, 10 Teacher Training Colleges And New University To Be Built. Modern Ghana. http://www.modernghana.com/news/421904/1/ndc-manifesto-launch-200-new-shs-10-teacher-traini.html
Ghana Legal. Ghana Laws. Education Act 1961 (Act 87).
http://ghanalegal.com/?id=3&law=23&t=ghana-laws
Government of Ghana. The Constitution of the Republic of Ghana 1992.
http://www.judicial.gov.gh/constitution
(NDC) National Democratic Congress. 2012 Manifesto. Advancing the Better Ghana Agenda. http://ndc.org.gh/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=231&Itemid=320
(OHCHR) Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Convention on the Rights of the Child. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm
Pittsburg Post-Gazette. Ghana's example: Free and fair elections choose a president. 11 Dec 2012.
The World Bank. Data. Public Spending on Education, Total (% of GDP) http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.XPD.TOTL.GD.ZS
The World Bank. Education for All (EFA). http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTEDUCATION/0,,contentMDK:20374062~menuPK:540090~pagePK:148956~piPK:216618~theSitePK:282386,00.html
UNESCO. EFA (Education for All) Global Monitoring Report. Youth and Skills: Putting Education to Work. October 2012. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/education/themes/leading-the-international-agenda/efareport/reports/2012-skills/
UN. Millennium Development Goals. Education. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/education.shtml
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