EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP: A SITUATION ANALYSIS OF GHANA’S EDUCATION LAWS, STANDARDS AND BASIC SCHOOL CURRICULUM.

Abstract

Following the United Nation’s adoption of the Agenda 2030 resolution, and the African Union’s implementation of Agenda 2063, Ghana, as a member of the United Nations and African Union is expected to institute measures to ensure the attainment of these ambitions. Given UNESCO’s recognition of inclusive equitable quality education as pivotal in the achievement of all the SDGs, questions remain as to how Ghana, through its educational policy and curricula, is prioritizing the attainment of SDGs. This paper is the outcome of a situational analysis conducted to determine the connectedness of Ghana’s educational policies, legal documents, and curriculum to Agenda 2030. Following a research framework and instruments provided by the Global School Pilot Project’s Secretariat, seven (7) Ghanaian educational policy documents together with twenty (20) K-6 curriculum documents were analyzed to highlight gaps, and explore linkages, and synergies, between the content of these documents and the Agenda 2030 Education learning outcomes. From the analysis, it was observed that more recently formulated policy documents had a higher prevalence of SDG concepts and competencies compared to documents promulgated before 2015. It was also observed that some explicit references were made to SDGs and Learning Objectives in the K-6 curriculum but they were focused on a section of the SDGs and concentrated in a few subjects. Significant sections of the SDGs received very few to no mentions at all in the entire K-6 curriculum. Based on these findings, recommendations are made for the review of outdated educational policies, a forceful push for incorporation of SDGs in the under-review Grades 7-12 curriculum, and engagement of policy makers and key stakeholders on the outcome of this research.