Literacy and Education

Of the population 11 years and above, 32.7 percent are literate and 67.3 percent are no literate. The proportion of literate males is higher (52.1 %) than that of females (47.9%). four out of ten people (44.5%) indicated they could speak and write both English and Ghanaian languages. Of the population aged 3 years and above (39,274) in the district, 59.2 percent has never attended school, 31.6 percent are currently attending and 9.2 percent have attended in the past.

School Attendance Data was collected on school attendance for all persons three (3) years and older. School attendance refers to whether a person has ever attended, was currently attending or has never attended school. In the census, school meant an educational institution where a person received at least four hours of formal education. Although the lower age limit of formal education is six years for primary one, eligibility for the school attendance question was lowered to three years because pre-school education has become an important phenomenon in the country.

Level of Education Level of education refers to the highest level of formal school that a person ever attended or was attending. This information was obtained for persons 3 years and older

Literacy and Education

From Figure 3.2 below on literacy and education, a total of 59.2 percent of persons in the Municipality have never attended school. 31.6 percent currently attend school while 9.2 percent have attended school in the past. More females, 62.5 percent, compared with 56.2 percent males have never attended school and more males 33.2 percent than females 29.9 percent are currently in school.

Literacy is measured by the ability of one to read and write with understanding. In the census, data on literacy was collected for persons 11 years and older. Table 3.9 shows that just about a third of persons (32.7%) aged 11 years and older in the East Gonja Municipality are literate in any language. More females are non-literate (52.1%) than males (47.9%). Furthermore, the population literate in English only (49.1%) is slightly higher than those literate in English and Ghanaian language (44.5%). Only 6.2 percent are literate in Ghanaian language only. Except for the age groups 25-29 and 40-44, the population of person’s literate decreases as the age group increases.

Information on literacy covered persons 11 years and older, while school attendance covered persons 3 years and older. Table 3.10 shows the population 3 years and older by level of education, school attendance and sex. Primary school has the highest proportion of school attendance in the Municipality (53.1%) for those currently attending school. Those in vocational/technical/commercial constitute the least proportion of (0.2%). Majority (52.2%) of the male population still in school are at the primary level followed by JSS/JHS where 18.1 percent of the male population, still in school is at that level. The same applies to the female population where students in the primary school constitute more than half (54.2%) followed by JSS/JHS, which is 16.3 percent. The reason why those in primary school constitute the majority of the people of school going age was mainly because there are six year groups in the primary school whiles that of the JHS/JSS are only three years.

The other half of the table represents those who have attended school in the past and are no longer attending. There is an inverse relationship between the level of education and the number of people with the male figures slightly higher than the female figures. Majority (30.2%) of the male populations who have attended school in the past ended at the primary level. This is followed by JHS/JSS where 19.9 percent of the male population who have attended school ended their education. On the female populations who have attended school in the past, majority (41.9%) ended at the Primary level followed by JHS/JSS (26.4%). From the table presented, none ended their education at the kindergarten or the nursery level for both sexes. Furthermore, while less than 20 percent of the males ended their education at the post-secondary level and that of the females was less than 10 percent.