Background

The U.S. Government Basic Education assistance to Ghana through USAID seeks to expand access to completion of basic education as well as improve the quality of primary education. The Education program places attention on: increasing the percentage of school enrollment and completion, especially girls; helping to ensure that children who complete primary school are able to read at grade level; improving the management and accountability of school systems; and increasing community involvement in schools and education.

USAID/Ghana Basic Education activities include:

Increasing access to and completion of basic education: USAID supports a community teachers program that recruits, trains, and supports volunteers to teach in short-staffed rural schools. USAID also provides scholarships to girls at risk of not completing their primary education. Both programs have been highly successful at increasing girls' enrollment and retention.

Improving the quality of education: Using funds provided under the U.S. President's Africa Education Initiative, USAID helps to accelerate the acquisition of literacy by teaching Grade one pupils to read their local language before helping them transition to English. USAID also works on improving teacher quality through teacher training and support in areas of large class management, interactive pedagogy, and pupil assessment.

Improving management and accountability of schools: USAID activities include a new report card program whereby districts and schools are responsible for collecting relevant data on their performance and making these reports available to all stakeholders. USAID also supports efforts to increase parental and community involvement in schools as well as increase the capacity of parents and communities to lobby for school improvements.

Improving educational governance: USAID offers deprived districts financial and technical assistance aimed at improving education quality and promoting accountability for results.

Key achievements in 2008 include:

• USAID interventions contributed to improve the enrollment of primary age children from 94 percent in 2007 to 95 percent in 2008. The programs also helped to increase the rate of primary school completion from 85 percent to 88 percent during the same period.
  
  
• More than 220,000 school children in food insecure regions of northern Ghana benefited from USAID's school lunch and take-home rations for girls, contributing to increased attendance and retention of students, particularly girls in school.
  
  
• Informal education centers for out-of-school children enrolled 11,250 students including 5,000 girls in 2008. More than 94 percent of these girls have transitioned to formal schools.
  
  
• USAID supported the recruitment and training of 381 community members to teach in under-staffed deprived schools in the three northern regions of Ghana.
  
  
• Student performance in grade-appropriate literacy in USAID-supported schools increased from 13 percent in 2005 to 45 percent in 2008.
  
  
• Approximately 45 percent of USAID-supported teachers trained in the design and use of teaching and learning materials were using effective strategies to teach reading, up from 13 percent in 2005.
  
  
• USAID's HIV/AIDS prevention program to equip teacher trainees with the knowledge and skills for HIV/AIDS risk avoidance reached 17,460 trainees in 2008. In addition, Ghana 's Ministry of Education has made this program an examinable requirement for teacher certification.
  
  
• USAID supported the training of 2,5000 teachers on trends in special education to ensure that students with learning disabilities are provided appropriate instruction within an inclusive learning environment. USAID also assisted in the development and distribution of teaching and learning materials for these children.