The Role of the Private Sector in Providing Basic Education Services in Kasoa, Ghana
Despite significant government investments in the public education system, population growth and migration have led to an undersupply of school places, especially in urban centers, leading to an increase in private education enrollments in Ghana. G...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Technical Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/282041513770136234/The-role-of-the-private-sector-in-providing-basic-education-services-in-Kasoa-Ghana http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29103 |
| Summary: | Despite significant government
investments in the public education system, population
growth and migration have led to an undersupply of school
places, especially in urban centers, leading to an increase
in private education enrollments in Ghana. Ghana has nearly
doubled enrollment at the primary and junior high school
levels since the introduction of free and compulsory
universal basic education. Ghana’s primary net enrollment
rate of 86.8 percent in 2013 is still slightly below the
average for lower-middle-income countries, which was 87.3
percent. Its net rate of secondary enrollment (including
junior and senior high school), 51 percent, is also lower
than the 58 percent average for lower-middle-income
countries (EdStats). Ghana’s public spending on education is
comparable to that of other middle-income countries and the
government is currently focusing its attention on upper
secondary education (senior high school), with plans to
build more schools to increase access. Rising enrollment
rates have not been accompanied by gains in student
learning; some parents are choosing private schools due to
their perceived higher quality. The education system in
Ghana is currently facing fiscal pressures due to low levels
of accountability, inefficient allocation of resources, and
plans to expand upper secondary provision. Although the
Ghanaian government has made progress in improving equitable
access to education through new programs and policies,
government resources are currently unevenly distributed
across regions in terms of spending per pupil as well as the
allocation of teachers. Ghana currently has a budget
deficit, with teacher salaries forming a large part of
recurrent costs in education. The country also plans to
expand education at the senior secondary level to meet the
needs of the economy. The construction of 200 schools will
put further pressure on government budgets. |
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