International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue VIII, August 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Achieving Universal Basic Education in Ghana: An Analysis of the Impact of School Dropout
Frank Yeboah-Obeng1, Daniel Yaw Acheampong2, Samuel Badu3
1Department of Educational Research, University of Oslo, Norway
2Department of Special Needs Education, University of Oslo, Oslo Norway.
3Department of English, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Abstract: This theoretical paper investigates the causes of dropout among students in Ghanaian Basic Schools to inform relevant strategies for the ongoing implementation of the new education reforms. This study identified family, community and geolocation induced challenges in both rural and urban public communities, impacting on the provision of and access to equitable, quality universal basic education in Ghana. The study thus found that where child lives– family, community and geolocation – determine to a greater extent, the child’s likelihood of going through the full cycle of Basic Education in Ghana. The paper also found that a child’s attitude and behavior could also influence his/ her decision to remain and complete school. The paper argues that the existing Ghanaian government’s policy interventions have been inadequate in dealing with dropout and advocates for future empirical research into the phenomenon in question. This will not only provide alternative models for dealing with dropout but also assist the government in future educational policy design, as it seeks to achieve quality and equitable education for all.
Keywords: Ghana, universal basic education, school enrollment, school retention, school transition, school dropout
I. INTRODUCTION
The UNESCO’s EFA Global Monitoring Reports [2000-2015] revealed that the global community failed to meet the Millennium Development Goal 2 and the Education for All (EFA) goal of achieving universal primary education (UPE) by the 2015 deadline (UNESCO, 2015a, b). About 258 million children and youth globally remained out -of- school by 2018 of which 29 million were children of primary school age, 62 million of lower secondary school age, and 138 million were of upper secondary school age. (UNESCO, 2019). Sub- Saharan Africa is lagging all other regions in this regard. For example, only 63% and 81% of Sub-Saharan African primary school age children were in school, and completing primary school compared to the global average of 84% and 92%, as well as Europe and North America’s rates of 89% and 99% respectively (UNESCO, 2019).
Ghana, West African country with a population of 32 million, has made some relative progress in its efforts to achieving universal primary education. However, Ghana’s overall performance in achieving access to quality and equitable universal basic education by 2015 was not encouraging (UNESCO, 2015c). About 10% of BS-age children (4-13) -remained out of school. Besides, about 26% of children who started primary school were drop-out (Ministry of Education