Built environment of basic schools and performance outcomes in rural Ghana: learners’ voice

The school is the home of many learners because they spend a significant amount of their time in school. Therefore, the built environment of the school is expected to affect learners’ engagement, welfare, and experience. This study aimed to examine how the built environment of schools affects performance outcomes in basic education in rural Ghana. The built environment is conceptualized as comprising school buildings, ancillary facilities, and didactic equipment, which collectively constitute educational infrastructure. Using a cross-sectional design, the study sampled 86 public basic schools and 949 learners from three rural districts in northern Ghana. The findings indicate that many schools in these districts lack adequate educational infrastructure. While challenges are moderate in schools in capital towns, they escalate in schools along major roads and reach extreme levels in remote areas. A significant correlation was established between the availability of educational infrastructure and performance outcomes across different geographical locations. The study concludes that targeted policy interventions are necessary to improve the quality of the built environment of schools to enhance the engagement and performances of learners in rural areas of Ghana.