Answer to Question #207823 in Political Science for Dawuda Hamda

Question

1. Identify one driving force of Ghana's educational reform policies and critically explain its impact on socioeconomic development of the country
2. Discuss with practical examples three ways in which politics in Ghana impacted on educational reform development since 1920s

Answer 1

-One of the emergent concerns associated with the educational system was in the acquisition of literacy through education programs. In Ghana as well as most African countries, postcolonial governments saw formal education that was introduced by the colonial administration as essential to the acquisition of skills for economic productivity and national development hence they made every effort to expand access to education after gaining independence from their colonial masters.

-The political incentives underlying the reforms documented in the case studies can be divided into two broad categories: (i) the use of education as a route to creating a skilled workforce, as one element of elite coordination around a broad national development project; and (ii) the use of education provision as a mechanism to build and secure support from elite groups and their followers. The prominence of these incentives and the channels they operate through vary across the political settlement groups, however. The creation of a skilled workforce, for example, is a key motivation in the developmental states and plays an important role for some actors in the mixed hybrid states. But it is largely absent in the spoils-driven hybrid states. The use of education provision and policy as a mechanism to secure support feeds into electoral competition across all of the case studies, but with varying responses and impacts. The more coherent developmental and mixed hybrid states are better able to channel this demand and make long-term plans that balance expanded access with education quality, while states with a long history of near universal education see demand focused on quality rather than access.