Viewing the influences of ‘the global’ on education in Ghana from the Lens of Human Rights Approach

Abstract

The impact of globalisation on education at all national levels has been very remarkable and the quest of researchers and scholars to understand its features and influences from the various academic lenses has been fascinating and incredible. This is because the term ‘the global’ and its impact on ‘the local’, especially, as regards educational evolution and development tend to defile a single theoretical basis for its understanding giving its dynamic nature. It is not surprising that several theories including world system theory, the human capability theory and human rights theory have all emerged in educational discourse to provide explanations for this phenomenon, but with some skepticism. This paper is, therefore, is one of the myriad attempts to explain the features and influences of ‘the global’ on national educational policies and programmes. It seeks to contribute to further deepening the understanding of the workings, of ‘the global’ especially, its dialectic with ‘the local’ so as to give clue as how ‘the local’ will be better informed and positioned in order to maximise the gains that accrue from globalization. It situates Ghana’s educational evolution and orientation in the /human rights approached is it uncovers the features and influences of the global on her educational policies and programmes.

It is structured into five sections. The first section espouses the concept of globalization and its dialectic with the local. The second introduces the theoretical framework which views education as human rights issue. The third highlights some background information about Ghana in term of it economic and educational challenges and the inequalities that exist in her education. The fourth section situates the emergence of the Ghana’s education in the human rights perspective as it points   out   some of the influences of the global.  In the fifth leg the rights/ justice approach was further used to discuss two key specific educational programmes in Ghana in the areas of goals, funding and outcomes as it further unfold the impact of the global on the local. This paper concludes on making suggestion on how Ghana and Africa as a whole can positioned itself in order to maximise the positives of globalisation.