Education Facilities
Primary Schools

Of all in the form of schools, availability of primary schools to communities in all the districts is the most encouraging. Primary schools are available to all communities in the AMA where people can travel within 1 kilometre to the nearest primary school. In all the districts in the region, Ga district (11.3%) has the lowest proportion of communities where primary schools are available and therefore some pupils need to travel an average of 2.8 kilometres (up to a maximum of 30km) to the nearest facility. Even though the proportion of communities with primary schools in Dangme West is much higher than that of Ga, children in Dangme West would not attend school or would need to travel 55 kilometres to get to a primary school.

Junior Secondary Schools

Apart from AMA where all the communities in the district have junior secondary schools available to them, the proportion of communities with junior secondary schools in Tema (45.6%), Ga (7.5%), Dangme West (17.4%) and Dangme East (14.1%) is much lower than that of primary schools. The maximum distance to the nearest junior secondary school, from a district, is about 30 kilometres for Ga District; while for Dangme West, it is 55 kilometres.

Senior Secondary Schools

The availability of senior secondary schools to communities in each district is even less than junior secondary schools, even in the AMA. The decrease is much higher for Ga, Dangme West and Dangme East, where it is 6.4 times more likely to have a junior secondary school than it is to have a senior secondary school. For instance, in Dangme West only 1.3 per cent of communities have senior secondary schools. In some communities in the district, the maximum distance to a senior secondary school is 65 kilometres, the longest distance in the whole region.

The issues of availability and affordability are a matter of concern, particularly in Dangme West and Dangme East, the two most deprived districts. Since most senior secondary schools are by and large boarding facilities, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has to revisit the issue of cost of training at the senior secondary school level.

The analysis of health facilities points to a good patronage of traditional healing facilities, which are more easily accessible and affordable than hospitals and clinics. The central government should not scrap the cash and carry system until the envisaged comprehensive health insurance scheme gains a firm footing.

The government has to continue to come to the rescue of the people particularly, women, children and the aged who are unable to pay for medical care. The District Assemblies should collaborate with central government to build at least one well equipped district hospital in the deprived districts.