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Before the coming of the Europeans in the 16 th Century, education in Ghana was informal where

acquisition of knowledge and competencies were transmitted orally and through apprenticeships.

(Adu-Agyem & Osei-Poku, 2012). After the arrival of the Europeans in 1529, education then

became formal where children were enrolled in the castle schools and provided with Christian

education. Danish merchants were the first to establish schools in the then Gold Coast (Ghana) at

their Forts, followed by the Dutch, Portuguese and finally the English merchants in their Castles

for the natives and their mulatto children by native women. For example, by 1881, there were

139 schools.

Education in Ghana has had different goals from spreading the Gospel to creating an elite group

to run the country. Therefore, the goal of education was making civilization goes hand-in-hand

with evangelization. According to Agbti (1986), the purpose of the Europeans introducing formal

education in Ghana was not only to take illiteracy from the people but also to propagate the

gospel throughout the colony. Beside reading, writing and arithmetic, the Europeans also

organized workshops (vocational Skills) like masonry, carpentry, shoemaking, sewing,

blacksmithing, as well as medical and health education for the people. (Adu-Gyamfi, et el 2016).

Post colonization has brought a positive improvement in the educational sector of Ghana by

undergoing different educational reforms. In 1961, the first president of Ghana, Dr. Keame

Nkrumah, initiated the Educational Act of 1961 which aims at achieving Free Universal Primary

Education. (Akyeampong, 2010). The education system at this point was six years of primary

education, followed by four years secondary education, then two years sixth form and then three

years university (6.4.2.3). This system was seen as too long and too academic so in 1974, there

was a new reform which brought about Junior Secondary School on an experimental basis. By

1983, Ghana’s educational system started facing crisis like lack of educational materials,
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reductions in Government financing, low enrolment, high dropout rates, and deterioration of

school structures. (Akyeampong, 2010). This brought about another education reform in 1987

with its objectives as increasing access to basic education, making education cost-effective,

improving quality of education by making it more effective to socio-economic conditions and

shortening the pre-university education structure from 17 years to 12 years. Hence the

implementation of the Junior Secondary School structure (6.3.3.4) which also included

vocational and technical schools, and introduction of the Basic Education Sector Improvement

(BESIP)/ Free Compulsory, Universal, Basic Education (FCUBE). Ghana education system has

been going through these reforms because it seeks to provide holistic and quality education for

the child. Therefore, all the reforms have the child-centered.

Many philosophies have had influence in the educational reforms or system in Ghana. The

philosophies of Dewey and IB are those I can think of. This is because their philosophies provide

holistic, quality education and serene environment for the child. For example the introduction of

Junior Secondary School (JSS) makes subjects practical, allowed students to exhibit their God-

giving talents and also acquire occupational skills, which after an apprenticeship lead to the

qualification of self-employment. This was influenced by Dewey child-centered philosophy that

if a child is interested about a particular topic, a sound environment must be created in order to

acquire knowledge in a meaningful way. It was also influenced by Dewey’s view that the

development of the child’s powers and potentials must not be based on an absolute standard

outside him/her but rather according to the abilities and opportunities of the child and that

education should create a balance between theoretical and practical activities. (Sahwal, n. d.).

International Baccalaureate education also influenced educational reforms in Ghana. For

example, the introduction of the JSS and Vocational/Technical Schools in Ghana helped some
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students to participate and graduate to become entrepreneurs. This is aligned to the IB learning

process which advocates for participation, advocacy, social justice, social entrepreneurship, or

lifestyle choice (IBO, 2018).

Values in Ghanaian society are very important because they help us to know where we come

from and what we want to become. According to Schwartz (2012), the core structuring principles

that direct human energies are values and they determine the path of individual and social

development. Because of this values and morals are very essential in the purpose of education in

Ghana’s educational system. For instance, it is compulsory for every Basic School student in

Ghana to offer Religious and Moral Education (RME). Again, the purpose of schooling in Ghana

is to train people to be well skilled labors and level-headed individuals for the development of

the country.

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References

Adu-Agyem, J. & Osei-Poku, P. (2012). "Quality education in Ghana: The way forward".

International Journal of Innovative Research and Development. pp. 165–166. Retrieved

from http://ojms.cloudapp.net/index.php/ijird/article/view/35804/28986

Adu-Gyamfi, S. et el (2016). Education reforms in Ghana: Past and present. Journal of

educational and human development Vol. 5(3). Retrieved June 19, 2021 from

EducationalReforminGhanaPastandPresent.pdf

Agbeti, K. (1986.). West African Church History. Leiden: E.J. Brill. 

Akyeampong, K. (2010). Educational expansion and access in Ghana: A review of 50 years of

challenge and progress Project Report. Unset, Brighton, UK.

IBO (2018). The learning community. Retrieved from

https://resources.ibo.org/pyp/works/pyp_11162-51464?root=1.6.2.14.5.3&lang=en

Schwartz, S. H. (2012). An overview of the Schwartz theory of basic values. The Hebrew

University of Jerusalem. Retrieved June 23, 2021 from

https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1116&context=orpc

Shawal, M. (n.d.). 4 main aims of education as advocated by John Dewy. Retrieved June 22,

2021 from https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/education/4-main-aims-of-education-as-

advocated-by-john-dewey/69151