Gender Access Gap In Basic Education: Can Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) Provide A Panacea In The Northern Region Of Ghana?

Abstract

Fundamentally, the question is no longer whether NGOs should play a role in education in Northern Region but how they are most likely to improve quality and access to basic education. This paper examines comprehensively whether NGOs in Northern Region have been able to provide a solution to the gender access gap in enrolment and attendance, the kind of relationship they have with GES and their challenges. The study was both qualitative and descriptive.  Instruments such as interview guide observation and semi- structured interview schedule were used to source the primary data from the selected NGO officials, the District Directors, the pupils’ and the headteachers while the secondary data were sourced from journals internet and published thesis. The study revealed that The activities undertaken by NGOs to address gender access gap in the region include research on girls’ education, advocacy by using media to educate the public on the need for girls’ education, capacity building, especially training of teachers and school girls, provision of both teacher and girls incentives, formation of girls clubs and training of parents to be able to cope with their girls’ education. The study also showed that non-availability of data at the District Education Offices, Lack of cooperation on the part of District Education Officials and lack of Logistics at the District Offices make it very difficult to provide a solution to the access gap in basic education by NGOs therefore, boys are still ahead of the boys in terms of educational achievement at the basic education level in the Northern Region of Ghana. The paper calls for attitudinal change of both the GES and the NGOs assisting in basic education in the region.