Ghana must substantially expand public investment in education, raising expenditure from approximately 3.1 percent of Gross Domestic Product to 5.8 percent by 2030 if the country is to achieve key education related Sustainable Development Goal targets, Africa Education Watch has cautioned.
The education advocacy organisation said Ghana continues to confront a considerable financing shortfall, with the resources currently committed to the sector remaining significantly below the level required to fulfil the country’s broader educational and developmental objectives.
The assessment is contained in a policy brief published by Eduwatch in response to concerns raised by the International Monetary Fund regarding Ghana’s education financing requirements and the country’s progress towards achieving universal secondary education.
According to the analysis, the IMF estimates that Ghana would need to devote approximately 5.8 percent of its GDP to education by 2030 in order to reach relevant education benchmarks associated with the Sustainable Development Goals. By comparison, current expenditure stands at roughly 3.1 percent of GDP, highlighting a substantial funding deficit that could complicate efforts to improve educational outcomes.
Eduwatch, however, stressed that addressing the financing shortfall should not be interpreted simply as a call for government to inject more money into the education sector. The organisation argued that increased expenditure must be accompanied by stronger efficiency, accountability and strategic allocation of resources.
It maintained that every additional cedi committed to education should produce demonstrable improvements in access, retention, completion, fairness, teaching quality and learning outcomes.
The organisation identified several areas that require sustained investment, including the recruitment and development of teachers, construction and rehabilitation of classrooms and other educational infrastructure, provision of teaching and learning materials, adequate financing at the school level, effective supervision and the strengthening of foundational learning.
Eduwatch further emphasised that the financing challenge is particularly pressing within basic education because deficiencies at the foundational level can have consequences throughout a child’s educational journey. Inadequate access, poor retention and low completion rates at the basic level can ultimately reduce the number of children who progress successfully into secondary education.
The organisation therefore called for a more deliberate approach to distributing educational resources, particularly by directing greater support towards learners and communities facing the greatest disadvantages.
According to the policy brief, low income households, rural communities, deprived districts, children who are outside the formal education system and learners facing a heightened risk of dropping out should receive stronger financial and institutional assistance.
Eduwatch argued that distributing resources equally among districts with substantially different levels of educational need does not necessarily result in equitable outcomes. It therefore recommended that government increasingly consider indicators such as poverty and deprivation levels, infrastructure shortages and the prevalence of children who are out of school when determining how educational resources are allocated.
The organisation also called for improved efficiency and stronger targeting within the Free Senior High School and Technical and Vocational Education and Training programmes. It said public support should be structured in a manner that provides greater assistance to households that face the greatest financial difficulties.
The financing debate comes as Ghana continues its efforts to widen access to secondary education while simultaneously addressing persistent concerns about the quality of learning and educational outcomes.
Eduwatch maintained that achieving universal secondary education would require more than simply expanding the amount of money allocated to the sector. It said Ghana must combine adequate financing with prudent expenditure management, equitable distribution, effective oversight and stronger institutional accountability.
The organisation cautioned that additional public expenditure could fail to deliver the expected improvements if inefficiencies within the education system remain unresolved. In its assessment, higher spending must therefore be accompanied by reforms that ensure resources reach the learners and institutions that need them most.
The call by Eduwatch consequently places education financing at the centre of Ghana’s broader development agenda, with the organisation urging policymakers to close the existing funding gap while ensuring that additional resources generate measurable improvements across the education system.
