Lifelong learning and the attainment of the education‐related Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3 in Ghana. Is there a critical nexus?

Abstract

In an environment of rapid technological change, countries in the developed and developing worlds need to improve the population's skills and competences. Since 1992, education reforms and various education sector documents and policy frameworks have been implemented to improve quality of education by getting more children into school through the abolishing of school fees, and the school feeding programme, whilst special efforts are made to deal with issues of gender inequality and the empowerment of women to meet the goals of Education for All and the education‐related Millennium Development Goals 2 and 3. Though gains have been made in the area of gross enrolment ratio, there are still gross disparities in net enrolment and completion rates at regional level, with girls lagging behind boys as they progress up the educational ladder. In dealing with these challenges to meet Goals 2 and 3, lifelong learning becomes the critical nexus. Ghana needs a lifelong policy to make the vision and practice of lifelong learning possible. The paper recommends a greater synergy between formal and non‐formal learning and the establishment of equivalent programmes that are flexible to promote post‐primary education so children, youth and adults can learn throughout the lifecycle. It argues that we need to return to informal learning, which is real lifelong learning in Ghana, to teach our children the value of education in order to live together as one people.

Notes

1. IMF and IDA, Enhanced Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative Decision Point Document, prepared by the Staffs of IMF and IDA, 4 February 2002.

2. The net primary enrolment ratio is the ratio of the number of children of official school age (as defined by the national education system) who enrolled in primary school to the total population of children of official school age.

3. The gross enrolment ratio is defined as the number of pupils (of any age) who are enrolled in primary education as percentage of the total children of official school age population.

4. This is defined as the ratio of total number of pupils successfully completing the last year of primary school in a given year to the total number of pupils of official graduating age in the population.

5. The ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education is the ratio of the number of female students enrolled at primary, secondary and tertiary levels in public and private schools to the number of male students.