Ghana has one of the best-developed educational systems in the whole of Africa. There are three main levels. The elementary pre-primary, primary and middle, secondary technical and teacher training and the University level.

Education for most children begins at the age of five or six, only a small number, mostly in the larger urban centers, begin at the age of three or four in pre-primary or nursery schools. Education at the primary level lasts for six years. Primary school education is free and will be mandatory when teachers and facilities are available to accommodate all the students.

Entry into the secondary level is by a nationwide competitive examination organized by the West African Examination Council (WAEC). Candidates will have to sit the Basic Education Certificate Examination in Mathematics, English Integrated Science, Social Studies, Technical and Vocational subjects before gaining admission into Junior Secondary School for three years. After this level one may decide to enter a technical or vocational institute or alternatively sit for the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) also organized by WAEC. Subjects taken at this level are Mathematics, Integrated Science, English, Social Studies, Technical and Vocational Subjects. Upon passing one may choose to go to the University, Polytechnic or teacher training college.

At present Ghana has 12, 130 primary schools, 5, 450 Junior Secondary schools, 503 Senior Secondary schools, 21 training colleges, 18 technical institutions, two diploma awarding institutions and five universities serving a population of about 18 million. This is in sharp contrast to the independence period in 1957, when Ghana would boost of only one university and a handful of secondary and primary schools.

Presently, the NPP government is undertaking an extensive review of the educational system in Ghana. It is the express wish of H.E President Agyekum Kufuor to radically improve upon it.