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Ghana National Association of Private Schools
Published in: Education

Youth Voices in Education Building a Strong Youth Constituency in Ghana’s Private School Sector

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Youth Voices in Education

Building a Strong Youth Constituency in Ghana’s Private School Sector

In 2025, the Ghana National Association of Private Schools (GNAPS), in collaboration with IDP Foundation, Inc., undertook a research study to better understand the role of youth within the private education ecosystem. The study focused on transitioning students and alumni of Low-Fee Private Schools (LFPS) and examined how they contribute to advocacy, mentorship, and resource mobilization for their former schools. The initiative was designed to explore how youth voices can be more effectively integrated into educational leadership, policy discussions, and school development processes.

The research highlights an important reality within Ghana’s education system: while education is fundamentally designed to serve young people, the voices of students and young alumni are often absent from the decision-making processes that shape the sector. In many cases, young people have limited opportunities to influence how schools are managed, how policies are designed, and how education systems evolve. This gap presents both a challenge and an opportunity for stakeholders seeking to strengthen youth engagement in education governance.

The findings reveal that students and alumni from private schools represent a largely untapped constituency that could significantly contribute to improving educational outcomes. Many of these young people remain connected to their schools through informal networks, peer relationships, and alumni groups. However, these connections are rarely structured in ways that allow for sustained engagement or meaningful contributions to school development. In most cases, alumni groups operate primarily for social interaction and networking rather than for coordinated support to their former schools.

Another key insight from the research relates to the transition from basic education to secondary education. Although many students graduate from private basic schools with aspirations of progressing to high-performing senior high schools, several barriers affect their transition. Financial constraints remain one of the most significant challenges, with some alumni reporting difficulties in covering admission costs, purchasing required materials, or continuing their education altogether. These challenges highlight the need for stronger support systems that can guide students through educational transitions and ensure that financial barriers do not undermine their academic potential.

Infrastructure limitations within many private schools also emerged as a major concern among respondents. Libraries, science laboratories, and computer laboratories were frequently cited as facilities that are either inadequate or completely absent in some schools. These gaps affect the learning environment and limit the opportunities available to students as they prepare for higher levels of education. The research suggests that alumni networks, when effectively mobilized, could play an important role in supporting schools to address some of these infrastructure needs through advocacy and resource mobilization.

Beyond infrastructure and financial barriers, the study underscores a broader systemic issue: the absence of formal mechanisms through which young people can express their views on education policies and school governance. At the school level, students typically communicate their concerns through prefect systems or occasional meetings with school authorities. However, there are currently few institutional platforms that enable youth to participate in broader educational discussions at the regional or national levels.

This absence of youth representation extends even into organizational structures within the education sector. Interviews with leadership within GNAPS revealed that while there is general support for the idea of youth engagement, there are currently limited formal structures within the association that allow young people to contribute directly to policy conversations or decision-making processes. Some respondents suggested that integrating youth representatives into leadership structures, creating youth forums, and establishing digital engagement platforms could help bridge this gap and strengthen the role of young people within the sector.

Despite these challenges, the research demonstrates that young people possess strong aspirations and a willingness to contribute meaningfully to their schools and communities. Many students aspire to excel academically, gain admission to high-performing senior high schools, and pursue successful careers. Achieving these aspirations, however, often requires access to supportive infrastructure, mentorship opportunities, financial assistance, and career guidance.

The study also highlights the potential of digital technology and social media platforms in strengthening youth engagement. Tools such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, and other digital platforms are already widely used by students and alumni to communicate and organize themselves. With proper coordination, these platforms could become powerful channels for mobilizing youth participation, sharing opportunities, and amplifying student voices within the education system.

For GNAPS and its partners, the findings provide valuable insights into how a stronger youth constituency can be built within the private education sector. Structured alumni networks, mentorship programs, leadership training initiatives, and youth engagement platforms could all play a critical role in empowering young people to contribute to educational development. By intentionally creating space for youth voices, the sector can benefit from fresh perspectives, innovative ideas, and stronger connections between schools and their graduates.

Ultimately, the research reinforces the idea that young people should not only be beneficiaries of education systems but also active participants in shaping them. Their experiences, perspectives, and aspirations offer important insights that can inform policy decisions, improve school governance, and strengthen educational outcomes. As Ghana continues to pursue inclusive and equitable education, building a vibrant youth constituency within the private school sector represents an important step toward a more participatory and responsive education system.

Download the Full Research: Report on Youth Constituency in Private Schools

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Private Education and National Development in Ghana – GNAPS Perspective

Ghana’s future depends on the quality of education we deliver today. Too often, public debate about schooling frames the state and non-state sectors as rivals. The truth is simpler and more urgent: Ghana’s public and private pre-tertiary schools are partners in national development. Private schools educate millions of children, relieve pressure on public provision, innovate quickly, and reach communities that would otherwise be underserved. If policymakers and international partners treat private pre-tertiary education as an asset rather than an afterthought, the country will make faster, fairer progress toward its human-capital goals.
Consider the numbers. Ghana’s basic education system serves nearly six million learners in public basic schools alone. The Ministry of Education reports more than 43,000 public basic schools catering to roughly 5.9 million learners (2022). At the same time, government records show tens of thousands of private basic schools registered with the Ghana Education Service, reflecting a parallel system that is substantial in size and national reach. These private institutions—including kindergartens, primary schools and junior high schools—play a strong role in meeting Ghana’s rising demand for places and for quality alternatives.

World Bank and UNESCO data confirm the scale of private provision: roughly 28–30% of primary-level enrolment in Ghana is in private schools (World Bank data for 2020–2022), a percentage that has edged upward as families seek choice and quality. This means that nearly one in three children at primary level is learning in a non-state school, a non-trivial share whose outcomes, capacity and working conditions directly shape the country’s human capital.

Why does this matter for national development? First, private schools increase access. They open seats in fast-growing urban areas, provide pre-primary options in communities with limited public provision, and often operate in peri-urban and rural settings where demand outstrips state supply. Also, they are incubators of innovation: private schools experiment with pedagogies, measurement of learning outcomes, parent engagement models, and low-cost technology adoption that, if responsibly scaled, can benefit the whole sector. That aside, private schools are employers and small-business engines training teachers, creating administrative jobs and stimulating local economies.

But potential alone is not enough. For private schools to reliably contribute to national development, three basic conditions must be met: recognition, regulation that protects children and ensures quality, and strategic partnerships that provide resources and capacity building.