Basic Education beyond the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana: How Equity in Service Delivery Affects Educational and Learning Outcomes (World Bank Studies)

Ghana is on a strong trajectory toward solidifying its middle income status. Today, more children
than at any time in the history of Ghana have access to basic and secondary education. Over
the past decade, incidence of extreme poverty has been cut in half amid strong economic growth.
Ghana’s recent achievements point to the possibility of more fully realizing the human potential of
all individuals and of the country.

Basic Education beyond the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana argues that realizing this
potential requires a redoubling of efforts to reach the poorest half of Ghanaian children with quality
basic education. At present, system-wide disparities in education service delivery and highly
inequitable allocation of resources has led to unfair educational outcomes. These disparities create
a “missing middle” in terms of learning outcomes: although a small number of children perform
well on numeracy and literacy assessments, more than 60% of 6th graders do not attain profi ciency
levels.

Several recent initiatives point to the possibility of accelerating Ghana’s progress toward quality
basic education for all: they improve equitable resource allocation, strengthen social protection, and
provide additional academic support to improve learning outcomes. By outlining key challenges and
promising practices, Basic Education beyond the Millennium Development Goals in Ghana seeks to
stimulate a lively and productive debate on the future of basic education in Ghana.