Education

USAID supports access to quality education in Ghana

Louis Erwin Stippel/USAID

USAID’s goal in education is to increase access to and completion of basic education, improve the quality of education, and improve and enhance communities’ abilities to oversee school administrations. By 2015, USAID will improve reading proficiency for at least two million Ghanaian children upon primary school completion. The approach emphasizes working with the Government of Ghana: more than half of the basic education program resources are implemented through government systems.

USAID supports a community program that recruits, trains and supports volunteers to teach in short-staffed rural schools. In 2010, USAID contributed to the country’s overall increase in primary school completion from 83 percent to 88 percent. USAID also provided scholarships to support the education of 7,000 girls, including 300 children with special learning needs. USAID has partnered with the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service to increase English language skills. USAID is also providing assistance to school construction and rehabilitation in 48 districts across Ghana.

To increase accountability, USAID supports a national report card program that provides school- and district-level performance data to local communities. USAID also provides over 60 districts with financial and specialized technical support to improve management, accountability and results. Lastly, because community involvement is critical to public education programs, USAID supports efforts to increase the involvement of parents and other community members in advocating for high-quality education.