Facts About Schools in Ghana

• Only 52 percent of children reach the sixth grade; of those, only 23 percent become proficient in English, Ghana’s official language and the main language of instruction.

• Ghana has over 15,000 primary schools, 7,000 junior secondary schools, 700 senior secondary schools, 25 training colleges, 30 technical institutions and over 10 public and private universities. 

• Entrance to universities is by examination following completion of senior secondary school.

Teaching In Ghana

• A major negative factor on the quality of teaching in Ghana is the reliance on 24,000 untrained teachers in rural and underserved areas.

• 37% of Ghana’s primary school level teachers do not meet national minimum standards for teaching.

• The current student to teacher ratio is 200 students for every 1 teacher, making it very difficult to be an effective teacher.

• The teachers starting salary is $260/month

Curriculum of Schools in Ghana

• Primary School - 6 years– Learn the basic core curriculum: math, science,

social studies, language arts, reading.– The sole official language of instruction

throughout the Ghanaian educational system is English.

• Junior High School - 3 years– At the JHS, English, Mathematics, Social Studies,

and Integrated Science including Agricultural Science, a Ghanaian language, Technical, Vocational, Information and Communication.

Curriculum of Schools in Ghana

• Senior High School - 4 years– English Language, Integrated Science, Mathematics,

and Social Studies.  Each student also takes three or four Elective subjects, chosen from one of seven groups: Sciences, “Arts” (social sciences and humanities), Vocational (visual arts or home economics), Technical, Business, or Agriculture.

• University Bachelor's Degree - 4 years– universities offer most of the internationally accepted

degrees– Grading system: 80-100% is an A and a C is considered

failing– The only similarity between our grading systems is

that they use a GPA as a way of assessing if a student is passing or failing

Education in Ghana

• Over 95% of Ghana’s children are in school

• In 2007 the literacy rate was 65% with 71.7% males being literate and 58.3% of females being literate.

• Highest school enrollment rate in all of Africa.

• Instruction in Ghana is in English

Challenges in Education

• Importance is placed more on work outside of school such as in the fishing industry.

• Pressure is put on the students at a young age to provide for their families or villages.

• Corruption in the educational system has left approximately 470,000 Ghanian children without the opportunity to go to school.

• Corruption has also led to the inability for schools to attain adequate and up to date school supplies, the ability to build new schools and properly train teachers.

• Computers are sparse in schools but the government has recognized the importance of technology in education.

• There is a gap between what the government acknowledges needs to be done regarding education and what changes actually occur.

Primary and Secondary schools in Ghana

• Funding has varied between 28% and 40% of the governments annual budget in the past decade.

• Most Ghanaians have access to primary and secondary schools.

• The ratio of females to males in the educational system in Ghana is 1:0.96.

Colleges & Universities

• Similar to United States in format• Attendance much lower• Accepted to school based on

W.A.S.S.C.E. performance• Public vs. Private Schools

-6 National Public Universities- ~40+ Private Institutions-Technical Schools

Degrees Offered

• Offer most universally accepted degrees– Bachelors Degrees–Masters Degrees– Doctoral Degree

“Special Education”

Free Spirits

• Not Human• Fairy• Spirit• Snake • Parents have been

cursed because of wrong doings

Special Needs Children

and the Stigma

What about the children

with physical and mental

needs?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIndU1WMWL0

There is Hope for these Children!

New Horizons

Special School

in Ghana

The Ghanaian government

has promised that

ALL SCHOOLSwill offer an INCLUSIVE

EDUCATION for ALL

CHILDRENby

2015.