Free public education for all is goal of Ghana’s government

The emphasis on education in Ghana has come a long way since the country’s independence in 1957 when there was only one university and an handful of secondary and primary schools. The past decade has brought positive change in Ghana’s educational system which claims between 28 and 40 percent of the nation’s annual budget and 2 million student enrollment.

Currently Ghana has 12,130 elementary schools, 5,450 junior high schools, 503 senior high schools, 21 training colleges, 18 technical institutions, two diploma-awarding institutions and five universities.

The government hopes to make elementary and middle school education mandatory as soon as enough teachers and facilities are available to accommodate the number of students. There is no tuition charge for those who do attend.

Ghana restructured its educational system in 1987 in an attempt to increase the number of students attending elementary school. Until that time the emphasis had been on the high school and college level. Ghana’s schools of higher learning include: Central University College, University of Cape Coast, University of Ghana, Lefon, and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. The government is looking at the possibility of adding a fourth state university in northern Ghana.