26/01/2026
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF EDUCATION
January 24, 2026
On the occasion of the International Day of Education, Caritas Ghana reaffirms education as a fundamental human right and calls attention to persistent barriers to equitable access to university education in Ghana . While acknowledging the government’s laudable policy of fully covering first-year university fees for fresh students, the statement highlights that many learners, especially continuing students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, still face serious challenges.
Key concerns include the scarcity of scholarships beyond the first year, severe shortages of affordable on-campus hostels, and rising costs in the private rental market, often exceeding tuition fees. Additional financial pressures stem from expensive learning materials, transportation costs, and long commuting distances. These burdens force many families into debt and place students at risk of dropping out, thereby undermining the principle of equitable access to higher education.
Caritas Ghana urges expanded scholarship schemes for continuing students, increased investment in affordable university hostels, access to reasonably priced learning materials, improved transportation infrastructure, and strengthened financial literacy and support programs. The organization concludes by calling on stakeholders to ensure that higher education in Ghana remains a right for all, not a privilege for a few.
This celebration also coincides with Catholic Education Week, observed across the length and breadth of all the Catholic schools in Ghana, and serves as a clarion call to all education stakeholders to confront the growing menace of examination malpractices that undermine the integrity of student assessment.
It is, therefore, imperative for stakeholders to reimagine and recommit to the three core goals of education: training the head (knowledge acquisition), the hands (skills development), and the heart (attitude and values formation), the latter standing paramount among the three.
True education shapes minds, equips skills, and forms values for life.
