PRIVATE AND INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ASSOCIATIONS IN GHANA

Ghana has a substantial private education sector, accounting for the vast majority of education providers in the country. The Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) estimates that there are more than 22,000 private schools offering “basic” education (primary and junior high school level) and a further 654 private senior high schools in Ghana. Over recent years many of these schools have coalesced around a number of trade associations and lobbying groups convened to represent the private school sector.

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ABOUT

Formal education in Ghana has a checkered history, having, for many years, been the preserve of the wealthy classes and administrative classes who were able or required to access education provided through colonialist institutions (including the so-called Castle schools which were often associated with forced separation of pupils or the acquiescing of the slave trade). With the increasing presence of religious missionaries, access to education was greatly opened to a far wider pool of pupils, provided that those same pupils would adhere and subscribe to the religious ethos of the school’s founders. Since 1961, basic primary education has been compulsory in Ghana with the state attempting to ensure provision for all pupils. However, a large minority of the population still do not or have not availed of formal education even at compulsory ages. Successive Ghanaian governments have sought to expand and develop access to education and to begin to increase the compulsory element from basic and primary to junior secondary schooling (with senior secondary schooling being an option only available to those who have successfully completed requisite exams). Government efforts to increase the State’s role in the provision of education and the development of a universal education system has had a big impact on the private school sector to date – the increasing number of non-fee-paying school places meaning that many of private schools (typically offering low-fee education) are struggling to compete and facing significant challenges.

To date, private and independent schools in Ghana are not necessarily required to be registered by any one primary body, albeit most are registered with and licensed by a state body. Recent efforts to widen the scope of this registration and licensing requirement, coupled with the omission of many private schools form state funding and admissions schemes has seen a need for the sector to organise. As such, there has been a proliferation of schools associations of varying professionalism and legitimacy. Those such as the Association for International Certification Schools (ASICS) (boasting some 42 members); the Association of Private School Owners Ghana (APSOG); the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS); or the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS) are amongst the best-known and most active. The larger, so-called “recognised” associations of private, independent and international schools have further presented as a united voice under the Private Education Coalition (which includes ASICS; the Foundation for Education Research and Development (FERD); GNACOPS; National Council for Private Early Childhood Growth and Development (NCPECGD); National Council of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA); and the Montessori Alliance of Ghana (MONTAG)).

The best-known associations of private and independent schools in Ghana is listed below.

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ASSOCIATIONS AND TRADE BODIES

CHOOSE LIST VIEW FOR A SIMPLE LIST OF ALL LISTED ASSOCIATIONS. ALTERNATIVELY, YOU CAN SELECT ASSOCIATIONS USING THE MAP BELOW.

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