Achieving Universal Basic Education in Ghana: An Analysis of the Impact of School Dropout

This theoretical paper investigates the causes of dropout among students in Ghanaian Basic Schools to inform relevant strategies for the ongoing implementation of the new education reforms. This study identified family, community and geolocation induced challenges in both rural and urban public communities, impacting on the provision of and access to equitable, quality universal basic education in Ghana. The study thus found that where child lives– family, community and geolocation – determine to a greater extent, the child’s likelihood of going through the full cycle of Basic Education in Ghana. The paper also found that a child’s attitude and behavior could also influence his/ her decision to remain and complete school. The paper argues that the existing Ghanaian government’s policy interventions have been inadequate in dealing with dropout and advocates for future empirical research into the phenomenon in question. This will not only provide alternative models for dealing with dropout but also assist the government in future educational policy design, as it seeks to achieve quality and equitable education for all.