Main barriers to education
- Lack of Financial and Material Resources
- Inadequate School Infrastructure
- Chronic Teacher Absenteeism
- Gender Discrimination
Ghana has made remarkable progress towards achieving universal primary education and gender parity. However, problems regarding access to education remain, particularly for Ghana’s northern areas. According to Ghana’s Statistical Service, approximately one third of the country’s OOSC population reside therein.
Ghana’s education sector, especially in the north, is plagued by a plethora of demand and supply-related issues, which adversely impact the primary school-age population. Economic disparities between the north and south, are pervasive. For example, children in the North are four times more likely to be out of school than those in Ashanti in the South. A change within a household, such as the passing of a parent, can force a child out of school to provide for his/her family. A 2012 UNICEF study found that the aforementioned northern regions have a particularly high incidence of child labour among adolescents ages 5-14. Teacher absenteeism in Upper East and Northern is estimated at 30 percent and significantly higher in rural areas to boot.
To begin to meet the needs of Ghana’s OOSC in the North, EAC has partnered with Plan International to increase access to quality-primary education. Under the auspices of the School for Life (SFL) model, this project will mobilise target communities around the importance of education for all children, particularly girls; establish committees of parents and community members to oversee classrooms and track attendance; train upper-primary teachers on OOSC-specific integration; and support the transition of SFL graduates into formal schools.