DRAFT TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND ...

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only about 1% of the 4-16 age group with disabilities had access to education, another
estimate puts the figure at 44%. Whatever the true estimate, there is evidence on the streets
that people with special needs are not adequately catered for in the provision of education and
employment matters. Enrolment in special education institutions indicate that again, females
are under-represented; their enrolment has hovered around 40% of total enrolment of special
needs people from 2001/02 to 2007/2008 (MoESS, 2008, p. 57).
Table 2.4 shows the distribution of Government expenditure on education (Ministry of
Education, Science and Sports institutions only). Only 0.83% of the total education budget
went to TVET. The President’s Committee on Review of Education Reforms in Ghana
(2002, p. 91) alarmed at the neglect of, and low budgetary allocation to TVET, recommended
that “Specifically, MOE should increase its allocation to TVET from about 1% to at least
7.5% and MMDE from about 12% to 20%.” Rather than increase, the budgetary allocation
has decreased in percentage terms. The restricted channelling of students into TVET and the
very low budgetary allocation to the sub-sector confirms UNESCOs (2003) observation that
“skill acquisition in both the formal and informal sectors has very little Government support
as compared to the regular education system.”
Table 2.4: Government Expenditure on Education, 2007
Sub-Sector Investment Total %
Pre-School 0 36,703,878 4.23%
Primary 0 375,720,151 43.44%
JSS 0 175,090,377 20.19%
SSS 1,166,817 67,290,654 7.76%
NFED 0 5,725,098 0.66%
SPED 13,031 3,894,322 0.45%
T eacher Education 19,999 33,188,794 3.83%
TVET 44,316 7,192,557 0.83%
Tertiary 101,451 159,425,579 18.39%
Subvented Agencies 1,663,654 1,663,654 0.19%
MGM (Investment Only) 238,234 238,234 0.03%
Total 3,247,502 867,133,297 100.00%
Source: Ministry of Education, Science and Sports. (2008). Education Sector
Performance Report, 2008, p.120.
The neglect of public TVET in terms of budgetary and other practical supports has been
raised from time to time but action is hardly taken to change the status quo. The latest inhouse
performance evaluation report acknowledged that the proportion of total
expenditure allocated to TVET (less than 1%) “does not reflect GoG prioritization of
TVET education” (MoESS, 2008, p.120). However, the Education Sector Project is
being restructured to include a TVET component and “it is expected that US$6
million would be allocated to the EdSEP TVET programme in 2009-2010” with
majority of the amount coming from the GETFund (MoESS, 2008, p. 139).
2.2 Policies
Policies that guide or are supposed to guide TVET delivery in Ghana come in various forms:
as part of national development plans; as sector- ministry policies and plans; as laws passed