The financing and outcomes of education in Ghana

In 1987, the Government of Ghana embarked on a set of educational reforms which culminated in the reduction of pre-tertiary education from 17 to 12 years and the introduction of measures to improve access, equity and quality at all levels of the educational system. The reforms focused primarily on basic education, which had undergone a decade of decline in quality, but higher levels of education were also given some attention. The reforms were launched at a time of a severe economic downturn – the economy had posted three successive years of negative growth – and a diminished capacity of government to finance development. In response, donors became increasingly involved in the provision of finance and technical assistance. As new modalities of aid began to be established, technical and financial assistance was provided to the government for both the preparation and implementation of the reforms. Over the course of the reforms, total donor assistance is estimated at between US$1.5 billion and US$2.0 billion. As the economy began to recover substantially from its malaise of the 1980s, the government's educationsector expenditure, as a share of GDP, increased from 1.4 per cent in 1987 to 5.7 per cent in 2006, albeit remaining lower than the 6.4 per cent recorded in 1976. This study documents a mixed record of implementation and outcomes of the reforms, with some indicators showing highly uneven improvements over two decades. As regards primary enrolments, for example, the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) increased from 76 in 1987 to 79 in 1991, but fell back again to 73 by 1997. By 2001, the ratio had recovered to 80 but then slid to 78 by the 2003/2004 academic year. Participation in basic education, which comprises both primary and junior secondary schooling, remained “free and compulsory” over the period. The introduction of capitation grants for schools in September 2005 reduced direct costs to households by replacing the various levies that schools imposed on parents for extra-curricular activities. This led to a 17 per cent increase in primary enrolments nationwide (with GER rising to 86) in 2005/6. This increase in school enrolments, while desirable in terms of moving the country towards meeting its objective of providing universal basic education for all Ghanaian children of school-going age, was followed, predictably, by a decline in education quality as the provision of additional teachers, facilities, and logistics lagged behind the capitation grant. A fresh set of educational reforms, scheduled to commence in September 2007, is intended to address these problems. Issues of funding adequacy, coordination and sustainability of donor financing for these reforms, however, remain largely unresolved – especially as donor disbursements in recent years have fallen short of commitments

Aid and donor partnerships in Ghana's education sector, 1987-2007: a critical review of the literature and progress

This literature review provides the reader with some insights into the historic relationships of donor partnerships within Ghana's basic education and skills development sub-sectors. The review looks at the evolution of these partnerships over the years and the various mechanisms and types of development assistance

Fungal profile, levels of aflatoxin M1, exposure, and the risk characterization of local cheese ‘wagashi’ consumed in the Ho Municipality, Volta Region, Ghana

Wagashi is a West African type cottage cheese locally prepared from cow milk. Wagashi like other milk products, is prone to microbial contamination, particularly by fungi. Many of these fungal species produce mycotoxins which are of serious public health concern. This work aimed to update the mycoflora profile and determine the concentrations of aflatoxin M1 and its health risk characterization due to the consumption of wagashi. Culturing the wagashi on mycological media (Oxytetracycline Glucose Yeast Extract OGYE, Dichloran Rose Bengal Chloramphenicol DRBC) caused a de-novo growth of the quiescent spores at 28–30 °C for 5–7 days. The analysis of AFM1 levels in the samples was done using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography connected to a Fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). The exposure and risk assessment to the AFMI levels were determined using deterministic models prescribed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The fungal counts ranged between 2.36–4.30 log10 CFU/g. In total, thirteen (13) fungal species from eight (8) genera were isolated from all wagashi samples. They are; Fusarium oxysporum, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium digitatum, Trichoderma harzianum, Aspergillus terreus, Rhodotorula mucilaginosa, Rhizopus stolonifer, Aspergillus fumigatus, Yeast sp., Mucor racemosus and Fusarium oligosporum belonging to the genera Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Rhodotorula, Rhizopus, Yeast, and Mucor. The AFM1 observed in the wagashi samples' analysis was low, ranging from 0.00 (Not Detected) ± 0.00 − 0.06 ± 0.002 µg/Kg. Risk assessments of AFM1 using deterministic models produced outcomes that ranged between 5.92 × 10−3- 0.14 ng/kg bw/day, 1.42 –44.35, 0–0.0323 ng aflatoxins/kg bw/day, and 1.51 × 10−3 − 9.69 × 10−4 cases/100,000 person/yr for estimated daily intake (EDI), margin of exposure (MOE), average potency, and cancer risks, respectively, for the age categories investigated. Fungal counts were interpreted as medium to high. It was also established that the consumption of wagashi may pose adverse health effects on all age categories in the selected zones of the study since all calculated MOE values were less than 100,000

Assessing knowledge of sickle cell disease and health beliefs on premarital genetic screening among healthcare trainees at a tertiary institution: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract Background The uptake of sickle cell trait (SCT) test is challenged by several factors. A community of healthcare professionals educating the public to undergo screening is critical in reducing the disease burden. We investigated knowledge and attitude towards premarital SCT screening among healthcare trainee students who are the next generation of healthcare practitioners. Methods A cross‐sectional design was employed, and quantitative data were collected from 451 female students pursuing healthcare programs at a tertiary institution in Ghana. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed. Results More than half of the participants were 20–24 years (54.55%) and had good knowledge (71.18%) about sickle cell disease (SCD). Age and school or social media as sources of information were significantly associated with good knowledge about SCD. Students between the age 20–24 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.54, confidence interval [CI] = 1.30–4.97) and knowledge (AOR = 2.19, CI = 1.41–3.39) were 3 times and 2 times more likely to have a positive perception about SCD severity. Students who have SCT (AOR = 5.16, CI = 2.46–10.82), whose source of information was family member/friends (AOR = 2.83, CI = 1.44–5.59) and social media (AOR = 4.59, CI = 2.09–10.12) were 5 times, 2 times and 5 times likely to have a positive perception about the susceptibility of SCD. Students whose source of information is school (AOR = 2.06, CI = 1.11–3.81) and who have good knowledge of SCD (AOR = 2.25, CI = 1.44–3.52) were 2 times more likely to have a positive perception about the benefits of testing. Students with SCT (AOR = 2.64, CI = 1.36–5.13) and source of information was social media (AOR = 3.01, CI = 1.36–6.64) were about 3 times more likely to have a positive perception about the barriers to testing. Conclusion Our data shows that high level of SCD knowledge influences positive perceptions about the severity of SCD, the benefits and relatively low barriers to SCT or SCD testing and genetic counseling. Dissemination of SCT, SCD and premarital genetic counseling education should be intensified especially in schools