INTRODUCTION

Ghana is endowed with a good education system a statement made by BBC News monitoring Department. The History of education in Ghana dates back to 1592. Over the centuries education has had different goals, from spreading the Gospel to creating an elite group to run the colony. After Ghana gained its independence in 
1957 the education system, then modelled on the British system, has undergone a series of reforms.
 Especially the reforms in the 1980ís geared the education system 
away from purely academic to more in tune with the nations manpower needs. The present structure of education, which starts at the age of 6 years, consists of 6 years of primary education, 3 years of Junior Secondary School, 3 years of Senior Secondary School and 4 years University or courses at other tertiary institutions. The first 9 years form the basic education and are free and compulsory .

The 1961 Act, (Act 87) initiated by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was aimed at achieving Free Universal Primary Education. The Act made Education compulsory and free.

 Section (1): Every child who has attained the school-going age (six-years) as determined by the Minister shall attend a course of instruction as laid down by the Minister in a school recognized for the purpose by the Minister

Section (2): No fee, other than the payment for the provision of essential books or stationary or materials required by pupils for use in practical work, shall be charged in respect of tuition at a public primary, middle or special school.

The Ghanaian Education System at this point (end of the 1960ís) consisted of six years of primary education, followed by four-years of secondary education. At the end of the four years suitable students went on to do a two-year sixth form course that could lead to a three-year University course. Students who were not suitable to continue, completed two-years of pre-vocational classes.

The system was soon regarded as too long and too academic. Thus 1974 saw a reform of the system, instating the Junior Secondary School on an experimental basis. The Junior Secondary School introduced practical subjects and activities allowing students to acquire occupational skills, which after an apprenticeship lead to the qualification for self-employment.

Due to a wide range of factors such as the economic decline, bureaucracy and sheer lack of interest the JSS-system never went beyond the experimental phase. By 1983 the education system was in a state of crisis. It faced drastic reductions in Government financing, lack of educational materials, and deterioration of school structures, low enrolment levels and high dropout rates.

第3話 - THE INDEPENDENCE-ERA