Ghana: Learning online even without internet access

Read how ASANKA, a low-cost, low-powered, durable learning management system that connects offline learners to local content for free, is helping to improve education outcomes in Ghana.

This is the 5th blog in our series showcasing the winners of the African Union ‘Innovating Education in Africa’ program.

Current educational practices in Ghana are not producing the necessary educational outcomes for students’ basic literacy and numeracy skills.

The 2018 World Development Report found Grade 2 students in Ghana were among those with the lowest scores across the 12 countries analyzed (including 7 African countries): almost 82% were unable to read a single word of a short text, and 70% were unable to complete 2-digit subtraction exercises.

Education challenges in Ghana are also tied to accessing both a quality education data management information system and teaching materials. The Ghana Education Service, in conjunction with the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), sets a national curriculum, but leaves schools to decide which content to deliver.

Seemingly a benefit on the surface, this freedom allows for learning content providers to flood Ghana with educational content exhibiting varying levels of quality. And to be clear, not all learning content is equal. Language comprehension is essential to improving student reading comprehension and related abilities that can lay the foundation for a student’s learning trajectory.

Furthermore, even if textbooks contain quality learning content, many students in Ghana still don’t receive them due to varying reasons, whether poor roads hindering deliveries, theft, spoilage or lack of inventory control.

In addition, without efficient and effective education data management tools, many teachers, administrators and ministers are left with guessing, luck and traditional methods to improve educational outcomes.