Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch) has expressed concern over what it describes as an unfair distribution of education infrastructure funding under the District Assemblies Common Fund (DACF), warning that the current system is widening the gap between rural and urban schools.

In a policy brief released on Saturday, May 2, the education advocacy organisation stated that inadequate school infrastructure continues to pose a major challenge to access and progression in Ghana’s basic education sector, especially in deprived rural communities.

According to the report, several regions in northern Ghana have as many as 60 per cent of primary schools operating without attached Junior High Schools (JHS), a situation the group says is affecting pupils’ transition to the next level and contributing to rising dropout rates.

Eduwatch acknowledged that the decentralised financing approach through the DACF was introduced to help tackle infrastructure deficits in the education sector. However, it argued that the current allocation model does not adequately favour districts with the greatest need.

“DACF allocations for education have so far proven to be inequitable, potentially reinforcing existing rural–urban disparities in basic school infrastructure,” the policy brief stated.

The organisation further noted that the mismatch between funding distribution and infrastructure deficits has worsened shortages of JHS facilities in many underserved areas, particularly in northern Ghana where educational challenges remain severe.

As part of its recommendations, Eduwatch is urging the Ministries of Education and Local Government to review the existing DACF allocation formula and adopt a needs-based approach that prioritises districts with the most critical infrastructure gaps.

“It calls on the Ministries of Education and Local Government to introduce a needs-weighted DACF education sub-formula that aligns allocation with basic school infrastructure deficits,” the report added.

The think tank believes that implementing such reforms would help reduce inequalities in access to education, improve transition rates from primary to JHS, and lower dropout levels in rural communities.