The Education Policy with the Most Impact on the Development of Primary Education and the Implications for Attaining Sustainable Development Goal 4 (original) (raw)
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The International Journal of Humanities & Social Studies
Towards Improving the Quality of Basic Education in Ghana, Teacher Licensure and Matters Arising, Challenges, and the Way Forward 1. Introduction The Government of Ghana has tried in various ways to show her commitment towards the achievement of Universal Primary Education (MDG 2) and quality of education for all. The government has shown this commitment through policy directives and interventions such as the Education Strategy Plan (ESP) for 2003-2015, the Growth Poverty Reduction Strategy, the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education Programme and the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. Strategies adopted to operationalize the policies include the introduction of the Capitation Grant (School Fee Abolition), expansion of Early Childhood Development services, promotion of measures to improve Gender Parity in primary schools, and the introduction of Nutrition and School Feeding programmes, These measures have led to improvement in various key indicators in education in recent years, notably, Gross Enrolment Rates, Gender Parity Index, Net Enrolment Rate and Net Admission Rate. 2. Education Policy Formulation in Ghana A policy is a plan of action for guiding, directing or administering affairs to achieve a set target or goal. Policies are therefore goal-motivated and goal-targeted. For example, the various plans, strategies and other operational means evolved or adopted for developing, maintaining and processing the education delivery system constitute the education policies of Ghana. The process of policy formulation begins with a felt need for a change in the education delivery system. Such a change may be necessitated for various reasons as mentioned above. In Ghana, it is usual to respond to demands for change by first setting up a national committee or commission with membership from a wide range of stakeholder organizations to review the situation. For example, the Education Reform Review Committee of 1993/94 was set up with a mandate to review Ghana's policies on basic education. Such reviews draw heavily on the analysis of the experiences gained in the implementation of policies that are the focus/targets of the review. The concern here is not only to find out why targets are not being achieved and whether implementation has gone on as planned. It is also to examine what unintended outcomes or unforeseen obstacles have emerged during the process of implementation. Central to the Government of Ghana's (GoG) Poverty Strategy Reduction (GPRS) is the provision of quality education. One of the key qualities of education policy indicators under the Education Sector Plan (ESP) and GPRS II is to improve the quality of teaching and learning for enhanced pupil/student achievement and the improvement of the quality of academic and research programmes. Under the GPRS II the policy was to improve the quality of teaching and learning and enhance the linkage between academic research in all sectors of the economy (MOESS, 2007). It seems highly likely that the achievement of universal participation in education is fundamentally dependent upon the quality of education available. Factors usually considered when determining the quality of education could be grouped into input variables, process and systematic factors, outcome variables (such as examination results), and proxy measures (such as repetition
Journal of Education and Practice, 2015
Background: Ghana being a member of the United Nations, committed to the Universal Primary Education initiative in 2000 and has since implemented series of educational reforms to meet the target for the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 2. Despite the numerous government interventions to achieve the MDG 2, many children in Ghana have been denied Quality Primary Education by the state. This has resulted in mass illiteracy among children of Primary School age, unacceptable BECE examination results and overwhelming increase in anti-social behaviour nationwide. With the use of quantitative and qualitative approaches, data was collected through the use of questionnaire and rigorous interview. Sample consisted of 8 Head Teachers, 80 Class Teachers and 40 Pupils from four Primary Schools in Kumasi and it's environ.Most respondents expressed the lack of teaching and learning materials, especially textbooks, workbooks and supplementary readers as setbacks for Quality Primary Education.He...
2009
Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy in the form of fee abolition has become popular in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since the mid 1990s in order to achieve Education for All (EFA). Even after learning from the past, the current UPE policy is devoid of analytical studies on its impact and challenges beyond school enrollment. This paper is an attempt to make a comparative analysis on UPE in four countries, namely, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda, to identify common and unique themes and to examine how these seemingly similar policies are responding to the capacity and needs of each country. The results show that effective policy implementation would require considerable consultation with key stakeholders and a baseline survey that will enable systematic implementation and consideration of equity. Mutual accountability and a responsibility mechanism between the government and parents/communities is also a key to the sustainability of the UPE policy.
Evaluation of Ghana's 2007 Educational Policy: Effects on Education in the Upper West Region
Universal Journal of Educational Research, 2020
The Ghana 2007 educational policy aims to improve performance in the education sector. The current study is interested in investigating the provisions made for free and compulsory education in the Ghana 2007 educational policy regarding the Wa Municipality. The researcher believes that there is a gap between the provisions made and the extent to which the policy provisions has impacted on free and compulsory education in the Wa Municipality. Four research questions guided the research. A sample size of 350 members consisting of stakeholders of education in the Municipality was selected using purposive and simple random sampling. A questionnaire and an interview guide were designed and used to collect data over a period of eight weeks. Qualitative analysis was employed to analyze the data with an emphasis on thematic analysis and a little descriptive statistic. The findings showed that the provisions are implemented resulting in increased enrolment figures but not without significant challenges that are threatening the sustenance of the success so far achieved in the Municipality. Thus, members demonstrated that education at the basic level is free but not compulsory in the Wa Municipality.
Strengthening Basic Education in Ghana
2021
This paper provides a brief introduc on and background to the basic educa on sector in Ghana over the last decade, a summary of key issues requiring a en on in the sub-sector and why some perennial challenges persist; , assessment of the responsiveness of the New Patrio c Party's (NPP) 2020 manifesto to these iden fied challenges and the prevailing gaps. It further undertakes a case study of the framework for the implementa on of the Ghana Accountability for Learning Outcomes Project (GALOP) proposes and recommenda ons for policy/system reform and enhancement drawing on , lessons from previous donor-funded interven ons. The paper draws on secondary data including the Educa on Sector Performance Report, expert papers commissioned on the educa on sector by CDD-Ghana as part of its Manifesto Project among other relevant materials and publica ons, and 1 makes recommenda ons on post-manifesto educa on policy for the next four years focussing on strengthening basic educa on.
Ensuring Quality Education in Ghana: Experiences of Basic
2016
The study investigated benefits which Basic school teachers in the Akuapem North District perceived to have derived from the Lesson Study Model. The study was a descriptive survey that used the mixed method approach. A 33-item semi-structured questionnaire rated using 5-points Likert scale, and focus group interviews were used to collect data. A combination of purposive and convenient sampling procedures was used to select 46 basic school teachers. Data obtained from questionnaire were analysed using means, standard deviation, and percentage while analysis of verbatim quotations from focus group interviews was used for triangulation. The results revealed that teachers felt their competences in the four thematic areas (knowledge in subject matter, lesson planning, lesson preparation and teaching material preparation and usage) which were the focus of the Lesson Study Model, had improved and in some areas much tremendously.
A comparative analysis of universal primary education policy in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda
Reading, 2009
Universal Primary Education (UPE) policy in the form of fee abolition has become popular in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) since the mid 1990s in order to achieve Education for All (EFA). Even after learning from the past, the current UPE policy is devoid of analytical studies on its impact and challenges beyond school enrollment. This paper is an attempt to make a comparative analysis on UPE in four countries, namely, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda, to identify common and unique themes and to examine how these seemingly similar policies are responding to the capacity and needs of each country. The results show that effective policy implementation would require considerable consultation with key stakeholders and a baseline survey that will enable systematic implementation and consideration of equity. Mutual accountability and a responsibility mechanism between the government and parents/communities is also a key to the sustainability of the UPE policy.