Education for All

In his article, ”Lifelong learning and the attainment of the education-related Millenium Development Goals 2 and 3 in Ghana. Is there a critical nexus?”, Michael Tagoe from the University of Ghana, asserts that Ghana requires a lifelong learning policy and practice. He states that although Ghana has seen an increase in school enrollments, there are continuing disparities in enrollment and completion, and a lag in girls’ progress compared to their male counterparts.

He recommends a combination of formal and non-formal learning, and creation of programs that promote post-primary education. This will provide children, youth, and adults with the opportunities for successful lifelong learning. Informal learning is necessary to instill the value of education in young Ghanaians. This will ultimately improve the skills and competences of Ghanaian citizens.

One framework to address poverty and education on a global scale was the United Nations' Millenium Development Goals in 2000. These goals were a series of international development objectives to be achieved by 2015. MDG Goals 2 and 3 addressed education.

·         Goal2 was to “achieve universal primary education by ensuring that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling”.

·         Goal 3 was to “promote gender equality and empower women”. This goal’s education target was to eliminate gender disparity in primary, secondary, and tertiary education by 2005, and in all levels by 2015.

Another framework for improved educational standards was Ghana’s 1992 Constitution which states that all persons shall have the right to equal educational opportunities and facilities with a view to achieve the full realization of that right. According to Tagoe, Ghana has worked to fulfill this by raising quality of teaching, improving access and retention, and increasing female school participation.

Despite both frameworks and efforts to follow them, educational disparities persist, specifically according to Ghana’s geography. There are geographic disparities of poverty, and thus, education and basic services. The northern savannah regions (Upper East, Upper West, and Northern Regions) and the Central Region experience higher levels of poverty.

Tagoe goes on to state that lifelong learning must be emphasized in order to combat persistent educational disparities. Lifelong learning recognizes and promotes the multiplicity of learning in life through family, schools, vocational training universities, the work place, and in the community.

However, lifelong learning requires a strategy and policies framework to provide some vision and structure for levels of education and training.  This requires strategies and policies in the education sector that promote lifelong learning-contexts, experiences, and competencies.  Ultimately, Tagoe believes that this process will foster and create access to a flexible learning system, which will improve the nation’s skills and competences to promote development and reduce poverty.

From Tagoe’s article, lifelong learning is a concept that is a natural element to daily life. Yes, it order to have meaning, the learning must be intentional. There must be a way to measure the learning to ensure that it is occurring and being realized by Ghanaians. I am curious to know if the term “lifelong learning” is something that most of the population can relate to and whether or not people would state that they participate in this concept as described by Tagoe.

Ghana Maymester peers-do you have any insight on this or further questions about Tagoe’s article?

Reference

Tagoe, M. (2011). Lifelong learning and the attainment of the education-related Millenium Development Goals 2 and 3 in Ghana. Is there a critical nexus? International Journal of Lifelong Education. 30 (1), 19-35. doi: 10.1080/02601370.2011.538191