Statistics: 1.2 Million Ghanaian Children Not in School

By GNA 

November 21, 20220

Children On The Streets

Statistics from the 2021 Population and Housing Census reveal that 1,215,546 Ghanaian children aged four to 17 are not in school. 

Out of that number, almost one million children have never attended school. 

This was in a statement from the Ghana Statistical Service to mark World Children’s Day on November 20.

The Savannah Region has 43.2 per cent of children who have never attended school, which is the highest percentage in the country.

The findings emanated from the 2021 PHC Thematic Brief on Childhood Vulnerabilities in Ghana.

It presents statistics on children in Ghana, focusing on the number and distribution of vulnerable children and the correlates of child vulnerabilities. 

Over a quarter of a million children-275,562 – aged five to 17 have difficulty performing activities in at least one of the following areas – sight, hearing, physical (walking or climbing stairs), intellectual (remembering or concentrating), self-care, or speech. 

There are 5,976 children in Ghana living without shelter, that is, sleeping outdoors.

It said about two in every five children, representing 43.6 percent are without shelter in the Greater Accra Region, which has the highest share followed by the Ashanti, representing 15.7 per cent and Eastern, with 5.4 per cent. 

Nationally, 51,081 boys and 79,733 girls aged 12 to 17 have ever been in a union, that is, married or living together with a partner. 

One out of every five children, representing 20.4 percent of all children who have ever been in union, lives in the Northern Region, which has the highest number of children in union (26,698). 

The report also indicates that one-third of the household population under 18 years, representing 3,862,259 children, is multidimensionally poor. 

The regions with the highest numbers are: Greater Accra (550,118) and Ashanti (539,048).

They have more than half a million children, each, multidimensionally poor.