Financing for equity in primary and secondary education
1. Education resources to subnational governments
2. Education resources to schools
3. Education resources to students and families
4. Social policies and family support programmes
Introduction
In Ghana, education at the primary and secondary level is delivered by the Ministry of Education through its lead agency, the Ghana Education Service, which implements policy and delivers education services across the country.
Responsibility for education expenditure is divided among several sources and multiple funding flows (see here for basic education funding flow). The authority to allocate key resources is shared among four main agencies. The Ministry of Finance sets the overall budget and allocates funds to ministries and agencies of state. The Ministry of Education allocates donor funds and proposes the annual education budget to the government. The Ghana Education Service manages recurrent expenditures, determines teacher numbers, and sets remuneration for education staff, including teachers. The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) finances a range of initiatives, including infrastructure investments, transportation services, grants, and subsidies.
1. Education resources to subnational governments
In 2010, the government launched the Decentralisation Policy Framework to strengthen funding allocation at the metropolitan, municipal, and district levels and to involve local communities in decision-making. Education resources transferred from the central government to districts are mainly provided through capitation grants. However, allocations do not follow an equitable funding formula across regions and districts, resulting in persistent geographical disparities in per-student non-salary funding levels.
2. Education resources to schools
Abolition of School Fees and Capitation Grants
Since 2005, the government of Ghana has abolished school fees in public basic schools, covering pre-primary to lower secondary levels, and replaced them with capitation grants. All public basic schools under the Ghana Education Service receive these grants, which are distributed through the district directorate of education to cover non-tuition levies such as examination fees, facilities management, security charges, cultural activities, and sports. Schools receive allocations based on student enrolment within their districts.
In 2017, the Ministry of Education introduced a base grant policy to promote equity, allowing schools to receive an equal share of the total grant at the beginning of the school calendar year, with the remaining funds distributed according to enrolment for the other two terms. The base grant, however, is not means-tested and does not support targeted allocations based on disadvantage, except for special schools.
Inclusive and Special Education Programme
The Inclusive and Special Education Programme, in operation since 2003, seeks to ensure access to education for all learners, including those with physical or mental impairments, orphans, and students identified as slow or fast learners, either through integration into the formal system or attendance at special schools. Support under the programme includes capitation grants and feeding grants for public special schools, provision of textbooks, braille materials, and other teaching and learning resources, as well as funds to cover utility bills in special schools. As of 2023, there were 31 public special schools in Ghana, including four secondary schools.
Non-Formal Education Programme
The Non-Formal Education Programme provides free access to functional literacy instruction, including through radio-based literacy education, for underprivileged groups outside the formal education system. It also offers complementary pathways for re-entry into formal education from primary to tertiary levels for groups such as out-of-school children, and provides occupational skills training for different categories of learners. Beneficiaries are generally drawn from disadvantaged communities, including individuals from low-income families and persons with disabilities.
3. Education resources to students and families
Pre-2017 Secondary Education Subsidies
Before 2015, and prior to the official introduction of the Free Senior High School (SHS) Policy in 2017, the Ministry of Education implemented several measures to progressively expand access to public secondary education and training for those most in need. This included senior high school subsidies distributed through a differentiated funding scheme. Students from the northern regions received the Northern Grant, which covered tuition fees, feeding, and lodging, while students from the southern regions shared costs with the government. The approach sought to reduce disparities in access to secondary education between the northern and southern regions of Ghana.
Free Senior High School Policy
In 2017, the government abolished fees for senior high schools under the Free SHS Policy to remove financial barriers to education and increase secondary enrolment rates. The policy provides a three-year scholarship to students in publicly funded upper secondary schools, covering both recurrent and one-time costs, including tuition, boarding, registration, meals, textbooks, library use, examinations, and science laboratory fees. The policy also reserves a proportion of places in elite schools for students from public school backgrounds, initially 30%, later reduced to 15% in 2025, to promote equitable access to upper secondary education. All Ghanaian students placed into public second cycle institutions through the Computerised School Selection and Placement System are eligible for the Free SHS, provided they have completed junior high school and obtained the Basic Education Certificate Examination with the required grades.
4. Social policies and family support programmes
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) is responsible for coordinating overall social protection policy in Ghana, which includes administering the Ghana School Feeding Programme (see section 5) and the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme.
Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) Programme
The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) is a cash transfer initiative launched in 2008 to support extremely poor and vulnerable households, including orphans, vulnerable children, and persons with severe disabilities. The education objectives of the programme are to increase basic school enrolment, attendance, and retention among beneficiary children aged 5 to 15 years. Orphans and vulnerable children receiving support under the programme are required to meet specific conditions, which for children in this age group include enrolment and regular attendance in public basic schools.
5. School meal programmes
Ghana School Feeding Programme
The Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP), launched in 2005, provides pupils in public primary schools and kindergartens with one hot, nutritious meal on every school day. Schools are selected for inclusion based on geographical, educational, and socio-economic factors, including school enrolment rates (particularly for girls), levels of food insecurity, and poverty within the community. The programme primarily targets areas experiencing high levels of poverty.
The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection (MoGCSP) oversees the GSFP, with the support of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning. The immediate objectives are to reduce short-term hunger and malnutrition, increase school enrolment, attendance, and retention, and promote domestic food production in deprived communities. The programme operates in line with the 2015 National School Feeding Policy and follows nutritional guidelines developed by the Ministries of Health and Food and Agriculture.
This profile has been reviewed by Dr Clement Adamba (University of Ghana).
