A Diagnosis of STEM Education in Ghana’s General and Technical Secondary Schools

Overview & Synopsis

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is home to the largest share of global poverty and has the widest poverty gap, where, on average, its poor are living much further below the extreme poverty threshold compared to other regions of the world. The common drivers of inequality that need to be addressed to reduce the poverty rate are gaps in relevant human capital accumulation, varying access to jobs and income-generating opportunities, and government interventions to address market-based inequalities. Human capital development is essential for increasing productivity and economic diversification among emerging economies. Improved and sustainable productivity comes from equipping the workforce with the technical skills required for jobs and adaptability to jobs of the future; developing new knowledge, products, and processes through applied technologies; and the ability to adapt existing technology and turn it into marketable goods and services. Human resource capacity in SSA remains low in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Additionally, SSA countries face important challenges at all levels of the education system in the application of digital technology in the educational curricula. Sub-Saharan Africa’s education sector is uncompetitive and non-responsive to the region’s needs, largely because it lags in three areas: undefined quality of programs, relevance of programs, and quality and quantity of graduates in the STEM and TVET areas. The goal of this study was to perform a diagnostic study on the enrollment and quality of STEM education in Ghana for developing priority interventions at the secondary and higher education levels. A thorough understanding of the education system in Ghana is essential for comprehending the broader context of STEM and TVET education.