Holistic Education in Ghana: Are We Serious About Educating the Whole Child?

Educator and Youth Development Practitioner

Ghana has embraced holistic education in policy, at least. The vision is compelling: our schools should do more than prepare students to pass examinations; they should nurture talents, develop creativity, cultivate leadership, preserve cultural heritage, and promote physical well-being.

This philosophy is reflected in the inclusion of co-curricular activities such as sports, cultural festivals, debates, quizzes, drama, and clubs within the school system. These activities are intended to complement classroom learning and help develop confident, disciplined, and well-rounded citizens.

Yet, after several years of teaching in rural Ghana, I find myself asking an uncomfortable question: Are we truly committed to holistic education, or is it a noble aspiration that receives less attention in practice than in policy?

My concern arises from two fundamental observations.

The Equity Gap in Co-Curricular Participation

In principle, every learner should have an equal opportunity to participate in the activities that holistic education promotes. In reality, however, many rural schools face significant disadvantages.

From my experience, information about sporting competitions, cultural festivals, and other co-curricular programmes sometimes reaches rural schools late, leaving little time for preparation. Teachers and students are then expected to compete with schools that may have had more time, better facilities, and greater resources.

Let me be specific: in the 2026 academic year, my school received notice of a district cultural festival just two weeks before the event. We could not participate meaningfully. Our students eager, talented, and deserving watched from the sidelines as better-resourced schools took the stage.

From my experience, the challenge goes beyond late communication. Between 2020 and 2025, the district where I have been teaching did not participate in any district-level cultural programmes. While such activities were taking place in many urban districts, learners in our rural district had little or no opportunity to showcase their talents through organised cultural competitions.

As a result, many gifted students completed basic school without ever experiencing the platform that holistic education promises. Their talents remained largely undiscovered, not because they lacked ability or commitment, but because the opportunities simply did not exist.

Whether these delays stem from administrative bottlenecks or communication failures, the effect on learners is the same. Rural students often begin from a disadvantaged position through no fault of their own. Some critics may argue that rural schools simply need better time management. But this misses the point entirely the issue is structural, not behavioural.

If co-curricular activities are an integral part of Ghana's educational philosophy, then access to them should not depend on a learner's geographical location. Every child, whether in a metropolitan area or a remote community, deserves an equal opportunity to discover and develop their talents.

The Assessment Paradox
My second concern cuts to the heart of how we define educational success.

Every academic year, schools dedicate valuable time to preparing students for sports competitions, cultural performances, debates, leadership activities, and other co-curricular programmes. Teachers invest considerable effort in coaching learners, while students commit themselves wholeheartedly to developing these skills.

However, when students reach the stage of formal assessment, academic examination performance remains the dominant and often only measure by which educational success is recognised.

A learner may demonstrate exceptional ability in athletics, public speaking, traditional dance, music, leadership, or community service. Yet these achievements receive limited recognition compared with examination performance. In some cases, they receive no recognition at all.

This raises a critical question: If these activities are essential to developing the whole child, why don't we assess them meaningfully?

Some will argue that examinations are the only fair way to evaluate students. But this argument crumbles under scrutiny. Examinations measure one narrow band of intelligence. A child's creativity, leadership, or athletic ability cannot be captured in a multiple-choice test. By limiting what we measure, we limit what we value and by extension, we limit what our children dare to become.

Let me be clear: this is not an argument against academic excellence. Strong foundations in literacy, numeracy, science, and critical thinking remain indispensable. But I refuse to believe that is all our children are.

History teaches us that nations are built not only by outstanding academics but also by athletes, artists, entrepreneurs, innovators, cultural ambassadors, and community leaders. Schools play a critical role in identifying and nurturing these diverse abilities.

When educational success is measured predominantly through written examinations, we risk overlooking learners whose greatest strengths lie beyond the traditional classroom. Some students who struggle academically possess remarkable gifts that, if properly identified and nurtured, could contribute significantly to national development.

What Has Been Done And What More Is Needed

To its credit, the Ghana Education Service has made commendable efforts. The introduction of the School-Based Assessment (SBA) component in the new standards-based curriculum was meant to address the narrowness of examination-focused education. However, in practice, SBAs are often treated as an afterthought or worse, as a bureaucratic burden rather than an authentic opportunity to recognise diverse student achievements.

We must do more. Much more.
The Way Forward
If Ghana is genuinely committed to holistic education, then our policies and practices must consistently reflect that commitment. I propose the following concrete steps:

1. A Predictable National Co-Curricular Calendar

Education authorities should establish and publish a national calendar for co-curricular activities by January each year. This calendar must ensure that all schools regardless of location receive timely communication and adequate preparation time. No school should learn of a competition days before it takes place.

2. Ring-Fenced Funding for Rural Schools

Greater investment must be made in supporting rural schools with the logistics and resources required to participate effectively in co-curricular programmes. Equal opportunity should not depend on where a child lives. This means dedicated budgets for transportation, equipment, and coaching support in underserved communities.

3. Co-Curricular Transcripts
Schools should maintain structured records of students' achievements in sports, leadership, culture, community service, and other co-curricular activities. These accomplishments should form part of each learner's educational profile, a Co-Curricular Transcript that accompanies academic results and is recognised for scholarships, admissions, and employment.

4. Meaningful Recognition in Assessment Frameworks

Policymakers should continue exploring ways to give meaningful recognition to co-curricular achievements within student assessment and progression frameworks. While academic performance must remain important, it should not be the only measure through which a learner's potential is recognised.

Imagine a Different Ghana
Picture this: a Ghana where a student who excels in traditional drumming is celebrated as much as one who scores eight A's. A Ghana where a rural school's drama club is funded as seriously as its science laboratory. A Ghana where "success" means discovering what a child can do, not just what they can memorise.

That is the Ghana holistic education promises. That is the Ghana we must build.

A Call to Action
I call on the Ministry of Education, the Ghana Education Service, and all stakeholders to take these proposals seriously. They are not radical ideas. They are practical steps toward a promise we have already made to our children.

I write not to condemn but to challenge us to do better. Our education authorities have laid the policy foundation. Now we must build the structure upon it.

Conclusion
As Ghana continues to pursue educational reform, we must revisit a fundamental question: What does holistic education truly mean in practice?

If we are serious about educating the whole child, then we must ensure that co-curricular programmes are implemented equitably and valued meaningfully within our education system.

Otherwise, we risk sending mixed messages to our children. We encourage them to develop their talents, leadership, creativity, and sporting abilities, yet continue to reward predominantly one dimension of their potential.

Holistic education cannot remain a slogan in policy documents. It must be reflected in what we value, what we support, and what we recognise.

The future of Ghana's education system and indeed the future of our nation depends on our willingness to answer one fundamental question with honesty and action:

Are we educating the whole child, or are we still measuring success through only one part of their potential?

The writer is an educator and youth development practitioner. The views expressed in this article are his own.

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