Educational Attainment of Household Population

Region

Western * 10 93.8 366 0.61

Central * 7 51.9 363 1.23

Greater Accra * 14 82.1 620 1.22

Volta * 5 89.6 310 0.83

Eastern * 13 84.2 331 1.12

Ashanti * 10 80.0 828 0.87

Brong Ahafo * 8 88.9 345 0.60

Northern * 1 79.9 471 1.25

Upper East * 6 81.8 162 0.74

Upper West * 3 85.4 121 1.00

Wealth quintile

Lowest (79.2) 11 78.4 965 1.01

Second * 12 74.7 852 1.00

Middle * 16 84.0 746 0.74

Fourth * 30 85.0 709 1.01

Highest * 7 86.3 645 0.75

Total 76.0 75 81.1 3,918 0.94

Note: Table is based only on children who usually live in the household. Figures in parentheses are based on 25-49 unweighted cases. An asterisk indicates that a figure is based on fewer than 25 unweighted cases and has been suppressed.

1 Ratio of the percentage with both parents deceased to the percentage with both parents alive and living with a parent

2.8 E

H

P

Studies have shown that education is one of the major socioeconomic factors to influence a person’s behaviour and attitude. In general, the higher the level of education of a woman, the more knowledgeable she is about the use of health facilities, family planning methods, and the health of her children.

Education in Ghana has undergone several changes in recent years (see Chapter 1). Pre-school education has been incorporated into basic education, and all primary schools are required to have nurseries or kindergartens. The basic education is free and compulsory, with the goal of providing educational attainment for all. The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND), set up in 2000, has resulted in major improvements in the educational infrastructure to support the country’s tertiary institutions.

The current educational system is based on a three-tier system: six years of primary education, followed by three years of junior high school (JHS), formerly called junior secondary school (JSS), and a further three years at the senior high school (SHS) level. At the secondary level, in the 2007/2008 academic year, the three-year Senior Secondary School (SSS) system was changed to the four-year Senior High School, but this policy was reversed in 2009.

2.8.1 Educational Attainment of Household Population

Tables 2.12.1 and 2.12.2 show the percent distribution of the de facto female and male household population age 6 and older by level of education and background characteristics.

Table 2.12.1 shows that 26 percent of the female household population has never been to school, a decline from 31 percent in 2008. Among females age 6 and older, 27 percent have some primary education, 5 percent have completed primary school only, 39 percent have some secondary education or have completed secondary school, and 4 percent have more than a secondary school education.

The data show that the proportion of females with no education is higher in the older ages, suggesting some improvement in education over the years. This may be due to the impact of the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) programme, which was introduced in 1996. Educational attainment varies by place of residence. Urban females are more likely to be educated than their rural counterparts. For instance, 18 percent of urban females have no education, compared with 35 percent of rural females. The proportion of urban females with some secondary education or higher (54 percent) is notably higher than that of their rural counterparts (30 percent).

Table 2.12.1 Educational attainment of the female household population

Percent distribution of the de facto female household population age 6 and over by highest level of schooling attended or completed and median years completed, according to background characteristics, Ghana 2014

Background

1 Completed 6th grade at the primary level

2 Completed 6th grade at the secondary level

Findings show that females in the northern half of the country are disadvantaged. The percentage of females who have never been to school is high in Northern (59 percent), followed by Upper West (53 percent) and Upper East (45 percent), as compared with only 14 percent of females in Greater Accra. On the other hand, 20 percent of females in Greater Accra have completed secondary education or higher, compared with 4 percent or less each in the Northern, Upper East, and Upper West regions.

Housing Characteristics and Household Population • 27 The proportion of female household members who have never attended school decreases sharply with increasing wealth, from 52 percent in the lowest quintile to 8 percent in the highest quintile. Overall, the median number of completed years of schooling among females age 6 and older is 4.4.

Table 2.12.2 shows that 18 percent of males have never been to school, a decline from 22 percent in 2008. Thirty-one percent of males have had some primary education or have completed primary education, 44 percent have had some secondary or have completed secondary education, and 8 percent have more than a secondary education.

Similar to females, the proportion of males with no education is higher in the older ages. Twenty-five percent of males in rural areas have no education, compared with 10 percent in urban areas. There is a marked urban-rural differential in secondary and higher education: 23 percent of males in urban areas have completed secondary or higher education, compared with 9 percent in rural areas.

Across the regions, the pattern for males is similar to that observed for females. Higher proportions of males in the three northern regions (Northern, 44 percent; Upper West, 41 percent; and Upper East, 32 percent) have never been to school, compared with 20 percent or less of males in other regions. The percentage of males with no education is strongly associated with wealth; those in the lowest quintile are the most likely to have no education (38 percent), compared with only 5 percent of males in the richest households.

The median number of completed years of schooling among the male household population age 6 and older is 5.9.

Table 2.12.2 Educational attainment of the male household population

Percent distribution of the de facto male household population age 6 and over by highest level of schooling attended or completed and median years completed, according to background characteristics, Ghana 2014

Background

1 Completed 6th grade at the primary level

2 Completed 6th grade at the secondary level