Basic Education is defined as the minimum period of schooling needed to ensure that children acquire basic literacy, numeracy and problem solving skills as well as skills for creativity and healthy living. It is aimed at building a strong foundation to form the fundamental transformation of the education system. Basic Education comprises 11 years (Age 4 – 15) of free and compulsory education made up of the following levels: kindergarten, primary and junior high.
 
Kindergarten Education comprises the first two years of basic education (Age 4-6). The kindergarten education is well defined to provide opportunities for the overall development of children and to meet the needs of individual children offering them the opportunities to achieve their full potential.
Young children learn from everything around them and so they do not separate learning into curriculum areas. However, it is important that we define these areas of learning and use them as tools to provide a broad and balanced curriculum. In developing the curriculum psychosocial skills have been integrated in all the domains and it should therefore not be taught as a subject. Teaching method in the kindergarten should therefore take into account the cognitive development of children. Children should be taught using all sorts of activities with concrete objects, eg. games and puzzles, to stimulate their hand-eye co-ordination and also to stimulate them to reflect their own activities. Children’s playful, inquisitive and creative nature should be exploited through various activities during instruction. The medium of instruction should be the most dominant Ghanaian Language in the locality of the school. The six essential areas of learning experiences of the kindergarten education are:

• Language and Literacy (Language Development)
• Creative Activities (Drawing and Writing)
• Mathematics (Number Work)
• Environmental Studies
• Movement and Drama (Music  and Dance)
• Physical Development (Physical Education)

Primary Education covers a period of six years (Age 6 – 11) and is aimed at building upon the two years of kindergarten education. The objectives of education at this level are to:

• Consolidate the knowledge and skills acquired at the kindergarten level
• Lay foundation for inquiry, creativity and innovation
• Develop an understanding of how to lead a healthy life and achieve a healthy status
• Develop sound moral attitudes and appreciate one’s cultural heritage and identity
• Develop the ability to adapt constructively to the changing local and global environment
• Inculcate good citizenship in children to enable them participate in national development
• Develop the skills and aptitudes for assimilating new knowledge
• Prepare pupils for higher education and training
• Make pupils understand the environment and the need to contribute to its sustainability

Primary education is divided into two, lower primary and upper primary, to reflect the stages of growth and development in children.      Next>>