Disease Scenarios Africa – Countries

Girls play football at Savelugu Junior Secondary School in the town of Savelugu, capital of Savelugu-Nanton District in Northern Region. In June 2007 in Ghana, the Government continues its efforts to provide free basic education of good quality for all children. National abolition of school fees in basic education in 2005, together with new subsidies to help offset school costs, has increased education access and narrowed gender gaps at kindergarten, primary and junior secondary levels. But challenges remain: poverty continues to restrict parents' ability to pay other school-related costs; there are severe teacher shortages, especially in rural areas; many school facilities and basic infrastructure are inadequate; and distances between school and home are often long. Additionally, traditional cultural practices and domestic work keep many girls out of school. While gender inequality exists in most of the country's 10 regions, the widest gender gap in school enrolment is in Northern Region, where nearly half of school-age girls do not attend school every day. Only 89 girls are enrolled in primary school for every 100 boys; and just 80 girls are in secondary school for every 100 boys. Working with the Government and other partners, UNICEF supports school construction and rehabilitation, including of separate latrines for girls and boys; teacher-training on child-centred methods, life-skills and HIV/AIDS education; peer education and vocational and life-skills training for adolescents; and other education initiatives. Interventions to increase girls' access include scholarships, distribution of bicycles to those who live far from their schools, provision of food rations and textbooks, and the training and deployment of female teachers to rural areas.