ObservatoryICT

GHANA

Overview

Ghana is in the process of finalizing its ICTs in education policy, due to be ready by the end of the first quarter of 2007. Despite the uncoordinated approach to policy in the past, significant progress has been made in increasing access to and usage of ICTs in the education sector. The tertiary sector is the most advanced in ICT deployment, followed by the secondary and primary/basic education sectors respectively. Overall there is much optimism for huge advances once the policy implementation begins. Progress has been made on several fronts, but several other inhibiting factors exist, including the facts that access to ICTs still remains highly inadequate and unevenly distributed through Ghana, with an urban bias; the capacity of teachers and educators to deliver policy still remains low with many averse to adopting ICTs in the classroom or with inadequate skills; there is a lack of adequate collaboration between the Ministry of Education and Ghana Education service or other implementation agencies such as ministries, departments, and agencies; and there are inadequate partnerships and collaboration between the ministry and the private sector. Despite this, generally the commitment to improving the quality of education through ICTs is high both at the presidential and ministerial levels.

Country Profile

Ghana has been a country of firsts. In 1957 it was the first country in sub-Saharan Africa to emerge from colonialism and-before an economic crisis in the late 1970s- experienced the highest GNP on the continent. Ghana also experienced the trauma of military takeovers long before others suffered similar fates, and it was among the first group of countries to subject itself to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM): an instrument voluntarily acceded to by member states of the African Union as a self-monitoring mechanism carried out by civil society and other stakeholders.

Ghana's economy is mainly rural: cocoa, timber, and pineapples are the main export crops, and mining (mainly gold) has become one of the biggest sources of foreign exchange. The annual real GDP growth rate reached 5.8% in 2005, sustaining the growth rate observed in 2004. Today Ghana runs a vibrant multi-party democracy, with a strong opposition in Parliament and an active civil society.

The Educational System

The new educational system consists of six years of primary school followed by three years of junior secondary and three years of senior secondary education at the end of which pupils sit for the senior secondary certificate examination (SSCE). The six years of primary education and the three years of junior secondary school (JSS) form nine years of basic education, which is compulsory and free. Secondary education is not compulsory. The system of higher education includes universities and university colleges, polytechnics, professional institutes, and pre-service training institutes. All public higher education institutions are under the National Council for Tertiary Education, which forms an advisory and coordinating body at the national level. The Council is under the Minister of Education. Each higher institution has its own council and academic board (or their equivalents). The polytechnics, which are currently offering Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes, are now in the process of being upgraded to offer university-level courses. A new University of Development Studies has been opened in the north, and the University College of Education, Winneba, has become the University of Education, Winneba. Teacher-training colleges are to be upgraded to tertiary institution status.

Infrastructure

As one of the first African countries to liberalize its telecommunication sector, Ghana has made tremendous progress in ICT infrastructure deployment. But like many parts of Africa, the ICT revolution in Ghana has left behind the Internet and computing. There are also significant differences in urban and rural access to ICTs.

ICTs in Education

The Ghanaian tertiary education sector is the most advanced in the deployment and use of ICTs in the country. All the country's major universities have their own separate ICT policy, which includes an ICT levy for students. This enables students to have access to 24-hour computer labs with broadband connection. However not all tertiary institutions in the country are equally endowed and there are instances where the computer facilities are run purely by the private sector as cyber cafés on campuses. In the basic and secondary education sector, a project to set up computer laboratories in all science schools in the country has lead to a significant number of computers being installed across the country. A computer levy of ¢30,000 (USD$3.20) is allowed to be in most secondary schools. There is, however, a great disparity between public and private schools as well as between urban and rural areas in access to ICTs. In schools where ICTs exist, a number of teachers use the Internet for research. Smart boards and projectors are also available in such schools. The school curriculum, however, is not yet on CD, even though it has been a policy issue for many years.

Current ICT Initiatives and Projects