On August 14, Eduwatch published Volume 39 of its Education Alert policy brief on the financing and access concerns raised in the IMF’s assessment of Ghana’s education sector. The Alert drew attention to the gap between current education spending and the investment needed to expand access while improving learning outcomes.

Eduwatch noted that Free SHS/TVET has widened opportunity, but enrolment alone cannot show whether every eligible learner can enter and complete secondary education. Available school spaces, teachers, infrastructure and learning materials must keep pace with demand, particularly in underserved areas.

We called for a credible financing pathway that protects basic education, plans for rising secondary enrolment and directs additional resources to learners and districts facing the greatest barriers. Education spending must be assessed by what it delivers: equitable access, sustained participation and better learning.

The full policy brief is available via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/alert/why-the-imf-is-raising-concerns-about-ghana-education-sector

© Africa Education Watch

On Monday, August 24 2026, Eduwatch participated in a CSOs Dialogue and Joint Advocacy Planning Session in Tamale, organised by School for Life Ghana in collaboration with the Northern Network for Education Development (NNED). The Dialogue brought together education CSOs to review emerging issues in education delivery, learning outcomes, financing, curriculum implementation and inclusion, and to agree on priority areas for coordinated advocacy and engagement with Government and other duty bearers.

Eduwatch’s Programme Officer, Kwasi Nimo Jnr, presented on Emerging Trends in Education Delivery, Learning Outcomes, Financing and Curriculum Implementation. While acknowledging improvements in Capitation Grant predictability, school feeding and the Free Sanitary Pad Programme, he highlighted persistent inequities in teacher deployment, infrastructure, furniture, ICT, WASH and teacher accommodation. He added that in the Northern Region, teacher surpluses coexist with severe rural shortages, adding to the Auditor-General’s 2026 report which indicated that about 10,600 schools continue to operate under trees, sheds and other unapproved structures.

Eduwatch also highlighted that expanded access has not translated consistently into improved learning. BECE core-subject performance in deprived districts declined from 81.01% in 2021 to 75.65% in 2024, while endowed districts declined from 90.19% to 86.84%, leaving both below the 90% 2022-2025 medium-term target. We emphasised the need to place actual learning outcomes at the centre of education accountability and target additional support to persistently low-performing districts.

On emerging education financing concerns, Eduwatch drew attention to the need for DACF allocations to better reflect deprivation and infrastructure needs, amidst the financing trade-off created by allocating about 42% of GETFund to Free SHS compared with about 9% to basic education. Our position that financing performance must increasingly be assessed through allocative equity, predictable releases, budget execution and value for money was reiterated.

On the ongoing Standards-Based Curriculum review, we welcomed the proposed emphasis on task-based and competency-based assessment and languages inclusions at the lower primary level. However, we stressed that curriculum reform must be matched by implementation readiness, including teacher preparation, stakeholder orientation, adequate learning materials, sustainable financing, monitoring, accountability and institutional capacity through a published and costed Curriculum Implementation Readiness Plan.

The Dialogue also discussed delays in finalising the revised Inclusive Education Policy, teacher welfare and working conditions, school climate, indiscipline and declining ethical values. Participants emphasised stronger guidance and counselling, parental and community engagement, and preventive and restorative approaches to discipline. Community ownership, SMC/PTA participation, local-language learning, community facilitators and citizen networks were also recognised as critical to equitable education delivery.

Following the deliberations, participating CSOs agreed to strengthen collective advocacy around equity-responsive education financing, learning outcomes, equitable teacher deployment, minimum school-level inputs, curriculum implementation readiness, inclusive education, safe and accountable school environments, and stronger CSO coordination and evidence sharing.

The Dialogue brought together School for Life, NNED, Eduwatch, Gnecc Ghana and several other organisations, including ActionAid Ghana, CAMFED Ghana, Children Believe, OXFAM in Ghana, Plan International Ghana, SEND GHANA, STAR-Ghana Foundation, Norsaac, Songtaba, Savana Signatures and YEFL-Ghana.

© Africa Education Watch

On August 28, Eduwatch completed field data collection for its study of the costs borne by parents whose children attend public basic schools. The survey covered 200 parents linked to 50 public basic schools across 10 districts.

The study examines expenditure on items such as exercise books, uniforms, feeding, transport, assessments, extra classes and school-related contributions. It also considers whether these costs affect children’s attendance and participation, and whether some payments arise from gaps in publicly funded school inputs.

Although basic education is intended to be free, families may still face costs that are difficult to meet. Eduwatch will analyse the survey evidence to identify which costs create barriers, which require clearer regulation and where public financing or targeted support could reduce exclusion. The completion of fieldwork marks the start of analysis; the findings will be disseminated in October after stakeholder validation.

© Africa Education Watch

On September 7, Eduwatch shared findings from a survey of 301 school heads conducted two weeks before the release of the 2026 WASSCE results. The survey asked heads which factors they expected to have the greatest positive or negative influence on performance.

Teacher commitment was the most frequently identified positive factor, selected by 81 per cent of respondents. Student commitment followed at 66 per cent, while additional instructional support and parental support were each selected by 64 per cent. On the risk side, school heads most frequently identified distractions from phones and tablets, expectations of examination malpractice and weak foundational skills.

The findings reflect school heads’ expectations before the results were released, rather than an explanation of individual candidates’ results. They nevertheless point to practical priorities: protect instructional time, support teachers and learners, strengthen foundational learning and address conditions that encourage malpractice.

© Africa Education Watch

In its statement on the 2026 Free SHS/TVET placement exercise, published on September 4, Eduwatch raised concern about the 54,985 BECE candidates who did not meet the qualification requirement for placement. Eduwatch called for greater clarity on how the requirement is defined and applied, including its policy basis and the distinction between subject grades and aggregate scores. (Africa Education Watch)

Eduwatch urged Government to provide a practical pathway for affected candidates. In 2019, when 38,355 candidates did not qualify for placement, Government supported affected public-school candidates to return to JHS 3 and prepare to resit the BECE. A similar response in 2026 should include targeted learning support and assistance with resit costs.

As Ghana advances towards universal secondary education, every basic school graduate should have a supported route into an appropriate general secondary or TVET option. The qualification rule should be transparent, and candidates who fall short should not be left without a route to continue learning.

The full statement is available via the link below:
https://africaeducationwatch.org/publication/2026-free-shs-tvet-placement

© Africa Education Watch

On September 21, Eduwatch held a virtual citizens’ review of the 2026 school placement exercise. Every year, the Ministry of Education establishes a Technical Committee to review the performance of the Computerized School Selection and Placement System (CSSPS). Eduwatch held this virtual forum to mobilize citizens’ input to the Committee to help shape decisions on any future reform of the CSSPS.

Participants examined the gap between receiving a placement and actually reporting to school. Eduwatch emphasised that the exercise will ultimately be judged by the share of candidates who both secure a place and enrol.

The review drew attention to the roughly 18 per cent of placed students (about 100,000 learners) who did not report in 2025. Cases discussed included candidates placed as day students far from home, where distance and private accommodation costs made reporting difficult. Eduwatch also highlighted the cost of prospectus items and other school-related requirements as a possible barrier for families.

Eduwatch called on the Ministry of Education to direct GES and the Ghana TVET Service to identify placed students who have not reported, contact their parents, record the reasons and refer cases requiring placement changes or financial support to the relevant authorities. We also urged the publication of weekly placement and reporting rates by region and district. Every placed learner should be followed through to enrolment so that those facing barriers do not disappear from the system.

A memorandum of the forum’s inputs will be submitted to the Ministry’s Technical Review Committee for their attention and guidance during the review process.

© Africa Education Watch