Trend Analysis of Admission, Enrolment and Completion Rates in Primary Education in Bongo District, Ghana (2012-2021)

The purpose of this study was to investigate trends in primary education admission, enrolment and completion rates in the Bongo District from 2012 to 2021. The study was grounded on the Theory of Justice developed by John Rawl in 1971. A descriptive exploratory design was used. This study used secondary data from the Ghana Education Office of the Bongo District in the Upper East region of Ghana to analyse trends in access to and participation in primary education within the district during the period studied. Data were analysed using appropriate formulae to calculating ratios for the educational indicators. Findings revealed that a significant number of children enrolled in primary education were not in the appropriate grade for their age; the majority were either below or above the age range of 6 to 11 years for primary education in Ghana. Additionally, the percentage of the out-of-school population within the appropriate age range for primary education (NER) increased by 1.1 percentage points, from 15.4% in 2012 to 16.5% in 2021. The study concluded that despite recognisable efforts by the country and district to widen access to education through free education policy, the education system has not yet absorbed all school-age children in the district due to several barriers. This study therefore recommends community outreach programmes by the district education office to address sociocultural factors affecting pupils’ participation in primary education.