Link to the Education Strategic Plan (https://www.globalpartnership.org/sites/default/files/2019-05-education-strategic-plan-2018-2030.pdf)
Building on Ghana’s achievements in expanding education, the Education Strategic Plan sets out the vision and policies for realising the ambition of transforming Ghana into a ‘learning nation’. It recognises the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and prescribes strategies to address the challenges in order to give every Ghanaian child the opportunity to
succeed and contribute to national development.
a. Achieving improved equity is one of the key themes of the Government of Ghana’s Education Strategic Plan (ESP) 2018-2030. The ESP references the National Gender Policy, entitled ‘Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment into Ghana’s Development Efforts’ and makes a commitment to achieving and sustaining gender parity in access to quality basic education with a focus on reducing regional disparities.“ (quote from the GESI about the ESP)
b. Both boys’ and girls’ education suffer if they are expected to work and bring income to the family, but girls will have the added constraints of extra domestic duties, vulnerability to sexual harassment, menstruation and in some contexts, expectations of early marriage. As girls grow, they experience multiple forms of constraint on their ability to participate and learn. These constraints often drive poor enrolment and completion rates of girls at the SHS and tertiary levels.“ (quote from the GESI about the ESP)
c. Commitments to:
i. Reduce gender disparities in results of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects at Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).“
ii. Ensure that Senior High School expansion reduces inequalities related to gender, wealth and disabilities including a specific commitment to achieving gender partita in enrolments.“
d. One of three policy objectives:
i. Improved equitable access to and participation in inclusive education at all levels“
e. BE 2.6.2 (strategy): Promote science, mathematics, and technical education in basic schools – particularly for girls.“
f. BE 2.2.2 (strategy): Invest in improving learning outcomes for girls in all subjects, especially STEM.“
g. Inequity is also reflected in learning outcomes – with the three northern regions performing the most poorly in the WASSCE. Gender disparities in performance, to the detriment of girls, exist across all regions for maths, science, and social studies, and, in the three northern regions, for English as well.“