Executive summary
Current indicators suggest that learning levels in Ghana remain low, revealing a growing mismatch between the country’s aspirations for economic development and social progress and the foundational skills students acquire through the education system (Ministry of Education 2019). Addressing this gap requires a systems transformation lens that goes beyond access to examine the quality and relevance of learning opportunities. This report shares findings from a research study that examined the current state of foundational learning (FL) in Ghana’s lower basic schools. It analyzes the dimensions of access, quality, and relevance to assess whether and how the education system enables children and young people to develop relevant skills. FL, encompassing basic literacy, numeracy, and socioemotional skills, represents an important basis for lifelong learning and future thriving (World Bank Group 2025).3
Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study involved 317 participants, including educators, school leaders, parents, and district education officials, across eight regions and 16 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs). These sites were purposefully selected to reflect Ghana’s geographic, socioeconomic, and educational diversity. The findings are intended to inform national policymakers and civil society organizations working to strengthen education outcomes in Ghana.
The findings revealed that while commitment to FL is clearly expressed at the policy level, those responsible for implementation, particularly at the classroom level, face multiple constraints and document limited support to translate policy into action. Capacity constraints—from insufficient teaching materials and overcrowded classrooms to limited professional development and fragmented teacher development—continue to limit what is possible at the school level. Additionally, cohesion across the ecosystem remains fragmented with actors reporting that current reforms are not moving in a unified direction. Finally, coordination gaps between national, district, and school levels persist.
Recommendations focus on three mutually reinforcing priorities: strengthening capacity through targeted resource allocation and alignment of teacher professional development (TPD) with curricular reform; deepening commitment by establishing accountable resourcing mechanisms and embedding FL into teacher incentive structures; and fostering cohesion by building a shared vision across the ecosystem—including structured consultation mechanisms that give teachers, families, and communities a voice and space for dialogue in reform processes.
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Acknowledgements and disclosures
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA), a UNESCO Category II Institute under the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, for its invaluable collaboration throughout the research process. We also acknowledge the constructive feedback provided by Dr. Wisdom Agbevanu and Prof. Ampah Mensah, which significantly enhanced the quality of this report. We are particularly grateful to the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service (GES), the Regional and District Education Directorates, head teachers, teachers, learners, parents, and community actors who generously shared their time, experiences, and insights during the study.
Special recognition is due to the regional coordinators, supervisors, and District Education for All teams whose dedication and professionalism ensured successful fieldwork implementation across the selected regions and districts.
We also extend our thanks to Jennifer L. O’Donoghue, senior fellow and deputy director of the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution, for her editorial guidance and Professor (Bro) Michael Amakyi, a senior lecturer at IEPA (UNESCO) Category II, Center of Excellence, for his thoughtful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. We also extend our thanks to Faith Nkala, director for Sub- Saharan Africa at the Education Development Trust and 2025 Echidna Global Scholar at Brookings, for her review.
While drafting this report, the authors used generative AI tools such as Anthropic’s Claude, Microsoft’s Co-Pilot, OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and Perplexity AI. We used these tools, in limited cases, to summarize research articles, locate sources, condense and edit text, and produce graphics. We reviewed and revised the outputs for factual accuracy. The AI tools did not contribute any original ideas to the report.
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