Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has recommended the allocation of at least six per cent of the 2027 education budget to technical and vocational education and training (TVET) at the pre-tertiary level.
Ahead of the presentation of the 2027 budget statement by the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, on November 12, 2026, it said the allocation should prioritise infrastructure and practical training support.
Participation in TVET, it said, increased from approximately 11 per cent of secondary enrolment in 2024 to 14.8 per cent in 2025 and that despite rising enrolment, pre-tertiary TVET's share of the education budget reportedly declined from 5.6 per cent in 2025 to 3.7 per cent in 2026, raising concerns about the adequacy of financing for ongoing reforms.
Memorandum
The proposal from Eduwatch was contained in a memorandum to the Minister of Education, highlighting priority financing interventions to improve quality and equity in public education financing and service delivery.
The proposals focus on strengthening TVET, reducing household costs in public basic education, and addressing inequities in teacher deployment and retention.
“Despite the gains in TVET enrolment in 2025, the huge deficits in TVET infrastructure threaten sustained equitable access and quality.”
“Eduwatch urges the Ministry of Education to allocate at least a third of the total second-cycle infrastructure financing envelope to TVET,” it said.
Workplace experience
Eduwatch welcomed the government’s ongoing reforms to strengthen practical training and expand Workplace Experience Learning (WEL) in TVET institutions.
However, it said the current annual allocation of GH¢70 per learner for practical training was inadequate to support quality competency-based training, “while commuting costs constrain learner participation in industry-based learning”.
“Eduwatch recommends increasing the practical training allocation to at least GH¢300 per learner per year, with progressive adjustments based on actual training costs, alongside the introduction of a dedicated WEL transport stipend,” it emphasised.
It recognised the government’s progress in expanding basic school infrastructure through increased District Assemblies Common Fund financing.
Shortages
However, it said textbook and desk shortages, alongside absent public funding for school-based examinations, exercise books and learning support, shifted costs to parents and excluded children from poor households.
The Ministry of Education, it said, should establish dedicated 2027 budget allocations for school-based examinations, targeted learning support and exercise books, alongside adequate funding for textbooks and desks.
“The persistent teacher shortages, compounded by inequitable deployment, continue to disadvantage rural and underserved basic and TVET schools.
“Without mechanisms to rationalise teacher distribution, additional recruitment alone may not address disparities between schools with staffing surpluses and those experiencing critical shortages.”
“Eduwatch recommends adequate budgetary provision for needs-based teacher recruitment and deployment, guided by verified school-level staffing requirements.
To retain and motivate deprived area teachers, the 2027 budget should provide for the implementation of the long-delayed Deprived Area Allowance,” it said.
