Training

In Ghana, three out of ten residents are illiterate, in particular many women and older people are not literate. However, the Ghanaian government is investing heavily in raising the level of education in the country. The poorest areas, especially in the north, are subsidized by foreign aid to enable more children to attend school.

At independence in 1957, Ghana had one of West Africa’s best schooling systems, but from the mid-1970s it deteriorated as the country’s economic downturn. In recent decades, the government has tried to reverse the trend. From the 2007/2008 school year, the school duty was formally increased from eight to eleven years.

• COUNTRYAAH: Country facts of Ghana, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.

The children must start in preschool at the age of four. The preschool is two years old and is formally included in the basic education. Next comes nine years of compulsory school, which is divided into two stages of six and three years respectively. The compulsory school must be compulsory and free of charge and now starts around nine out of ten children in the school. The proportion of girls in primary school is about as large as the proportion of boys.

The voluntary supplementary stage (corresponding to the upper secondary school) was extended from the 2007/2008 school year from three to four years. Students can choose between different study or vocational preparation courses. In 2014, just over half of the children started in the superstructure phase, and the proportion of boys was slightly greater than the proportion of girls.

English is a first language teaching language, but if necessary, native languages ​​are used in parallel during the first years. The children also read local languages ​​throughout the schooling.

Ghana has six state and about ten private universities. More than a few hundred specialized institutions for higher education are also available. Demand for highly educated labor is high, but lack of money in the Treasury and problems with student and teacher strikes have contributed to the lack of education.

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FACTS – EDUCATION

Proportion of children starting primary school

84.6 percent (2017)

Number of pupils per teacher in primary school

27 (2017)

Reading and writing skills

71.5 percent (2010)

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP

20.2 percent (2017)

Public expenditure on education as a percentage of the state budget

20.2 percent (2017)

2015

December

About 20 judges dismissed after bribery scandal

About 20 judges at lower courts are dismissed as a result of the bribery scandal (see September 2015). A criminal investigation is underway against the High Court judge.

October

High-ranking judges are turned off

The bribery scandal among the country’s judges (see September 2015) results in the government suspending seven out of twelve judges at the High Court (High Court) from their services.

September

Bribery scandal is revealed among judges

The Crusading Guide magazine should have filmed 34 judges when they received bribes. Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, who is behind the disclosure, has been granted prosecution immunity by the prosecutor. About 20 judges at lower courts are suspended from their services.

April

Border dispute on oil recovery solved

The International Maritime Law Tribunal in Hamburg, which mediates in a border dispute between Ghana and Ivory Coast, gives Ghana the right to continue oil recovery in the places where such has already been initiated in the disputed maritime area (see September 2014). However, oil drilling may not start in new locations. The Ivory Coast has demanded that all Ghanaian oil operations in the area be stopped, but that would cause too much economic damage for Ghana.

February

The IMF grants loans

International loan agency IMF grants Ghana a loan of about $ 940 million. The loan is to be paid off in installments and intends to stabilize the country’s economy, which is plagued by high inflation, budget deficits and falling growth.