Only 10 out of 261 public technical vocational and education (TVET) institutions (3.8 per cent) have access to internet connectivity in the country, an advocacy organisation, Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), has revealed.

It said the lack of access to the internet was negatively affecting training in digital designing, automation, simulation and research.

In addition to that, it said there was a severe shortage of computers in the institutions, with an estimated 3,425 units needed nationwide.

Operate

The Executive Director of Eduwatch, who made this known at the 2025 Education Financing Conference in Accra today (Wednesday), noted that “over 96 per cent of TVET schools operate without reliable internet, limiting digital learning.”

He, therefore, called for the re-costing of the free TVET policy by trade, in line with competency-based training and pedagogical imperatives.

In a presentation on Fixing the foundation: Rethinking TVET Financing for Quality and Equity”, Mr Asare stressed the need for an increase in the TVET allocation to at least 10 per cent of the education budget.

Moreover, he underscored the need for the introduction of a skills development levy to feed into the envisioned TVET fund.

Mr Asare called for the legislation and operationalisation of the TVET fund and called for support for technical vocational institutions to establish endowment funds.

Moreover, he said there was a need incentivise industry participation in TVET, including public-private partnership for equipment and digital infrastructure, among other things.

He said the practical component in TVET training in the country was very low.

Fluctuations

Despite fluctuations, he said Ghana’s spending on TVET averaged about 2.4 per cent of total education expenditure between 2017 and 2022, remaining below levels required to support sustained skills development.

Mr Asare said the 2025 education budget allocation showed a strong concentration of resources at the basic, tertiary and management levels, while TVET received a disproportionately small share.

That allocation pattern, he said, reinforced the persistent underfunding of skills development, despite growing evidence that TVET was critical for improving youth employability and supporting economic transformation.

“Across countries with strong TVET systems, per student TVET costs are 22 to 28 per cent higher than general secondary education due to the practical component of training.

In Ghana, the cost difference is estimated at only 11 per cent, reflecting underinvestment rather,” he said.

“With an average annual cost of practical learning materials at about GHS6,500 per learner, the current Free TVET allocation leaves a financing gap of approximately 94 per cent.

This gap reflects a rigid funding model that does not account for differences in training intensity, consumable use or equipment requirements across trades.

As a result, institutions are unable to deliver the required number of practical sessions, conducting only about six sessions per academic year instead of 20”

Teacher recruitment

Earlier in a presentation, the Programmes Officer at Eduwatch, Kwasi Asare-Nimo Jr, said the budget allocated for the education sector in 2026 should prioritise the recruitment and deployment of teachers in the first quarter of the year.

Moreover, he said the budget should rebalance free senior high school (SHS) spending to reduce the reliance on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund).

Again, he said there should be reform of the technical vocational education and training (TVET) budget framework for realistic, practical learning.

The Project Coordinator, OXFAM Ghana, Wumbei Dokurugu, said education was not just a right but a fundamental human right.

He mentioned challenges in education delivery, such as children lying on their bellies and overcrowded classrooms, with teachers struggling to manage classes.

“These are challenges that affect the education sector and that make it very difficult for us to meet this as a right,” he said.

Ratio

The Country Director of Action Aid, John Nkoh, said the pupil-to-trained teacher ratio in primary schools stood at 62:1, far above the UNESCO recommendation of 40-1.

At the secondary school level, he said the situation was even more alarming.

He said there could not be talk about financing without embracing the chronic under-financing of teachers, learning materials and infrastructure.

The Chairperson of the Board of Eduwatch, Dorothy Konadu, said this year’s conference came at a pivotal time for the country’s education sector.

He said as the country approached the final year of the education strategic plan and the sustainable development goals, the challenge “before us is not simply access to education but equitable access”.

She said it was not just education delivery but quality education delivery.

All of that, she said, could only be done through adequate education financing.