Background: Education System
The education system in Ghana is comprised of four different levels, the first two of which are compulsory and technically free to attend. As in the United States, there are both private and public schools, with the private school typically located in regional capitals and other larger towns/cities, and only attended by children of more wealthy families who can afford to pay for a better education. Though there is no tuition to attend the public primary and junior secondary schools, students must be able to provide for a strict uniform, which many families are not able to afford.
The four main levels are as follows:
(1) Primary School (P1-P6): Primary school is usually begun around age six, and continues through about age 12. Basic subjects are covered, and typically include English, the local language (Ewe in Helekpe), mathematics, history and some sort of social/cultural studies.
(2) Junior Secondary School (JSS): JSS is in place of "middle school" and is three years in length. For many students, especially in rural areas, this is the highest level of education achieved as it is the last free level of school offered. A test is taken at the end of JSS, the results of which determine which secondary schools a student may be allowed entrance to.
(3) Secondary School (SS): SS is sort of a mixture of high school and a certain level of college. Though SS was four years in length until 2009, it is now only three years. While there are still core classes that all students take, students must also choose a discipline that they want to focus on. At the SS I taught at this past summer, the tracks offered were General Arts, Science and Business, though there is a larger variety offered at larger schools in some of the cities. At the end of the three years of SS, an examination is taken by all students to exit SS, as well as vie for entrance into one of the nation's universities.
(4) University: The universities in Ghana are run the same way as those in the US, with students choosing a major to focus on.
The four main levels are as follows:
(1) Primary School (P1-P6): Primary school is usually begun around age six, and continues through about age 12. Basic subjects are covered, and typically include English, the local language (Ewe in Helekpe), mathematics, history and some sort of social/cultural studies.
(2) Junior Secondary School (JSS): JSS is in place of "middle school" and is three years in length. For many students, especially in rural areas, this is the highest level of education achieved as it is the last free level of school offered. A test is taken at the end of JSS, the results of which determine which secondary schools a student may be allowed entrance to.
(3) Secondary School (SS): SS is sort of a mixture of high school and a certain level of college. Though SS was four years in length until 2009, it is now only three years. While there are still core classes that all students take, students must also choose a discipline that they want to focus on. At the SS I taught at this past summer, the tracks offered were General Arts, Science and Business, though there is a larger variety offered at larger schools in some of the cities. At the end of the three years of SS, an examination is taken by all students to exit SS, as well as vie for entrance into one of the nation's universities.
(4) University: The universities in Ghana are run the same way as those in the US, with students choosing a major to focus on.