Heading to University

This time of year is always a busy one at City of Refuge Ministries.  Our junior high students who completed their education back in June move on to senior high.  Our senior high students who completed their education in September move on to university and training programs.  Our university students head back to school for another semester and our graduates head out into the world to tackle their year of National Service as required by the government.  

While it is quite common for students in the western world to complete their senior high education and move on to tertiary opportunities, and though it is a growing expectation among developing countries, there are still a lot of factors that affect students' ability to complete a higher education in Ghana.  

Around 92% of students who are enrolled in Ghana's basic education programs (1st grade through junior high school) complete their education (Ghana Primary School Completion Rate - Data, Chart | TheGlobalEconomy.com, n.d.). Moving on to senior high school, however, can be more challenging. Most senior high schools in Ghana are boarding schools, and even though Ghana offers this opportunity as "free education" for all students, the cost for provisions to attend school can sometimes be too much for families. Sometimes students are assigned to schools too far from their families, which would be too great a burden for more rural homes to bear. Other challenges like socioeconomic pressures, gender and regional disparities, quality of education, teacher shortages, academic preparedness, and school infrastructures can make it more challenging for students to continue their education from junior high to senior high. Even with these many challenges, Ghana has seen its senior high completion rates to be around 60% (Dadzie et al., 2020).

City of Refuge Ministries takes away many of these barriers for students going on to senior high school, leaving students with one main job: to finish their studies and do their best on their final examinations (called the WASSCE). Those final scores make it possible for students to move on to attend university. While most are able to move into a senior high focused on an academic program of learning, others are given the opportunity to attend senior high programs that focus more on trades where they will learn something hands-on and move into an apprenticeship afterward.

The possibility of attending university is still a blossoming possibility for more and more families in the developing world, but moving into tertiary programs isn't easy. Some statistics state that only 22% of those who complete senior high are able to move forward into tertiary education programs (TRADING ECONOMICS, n.d.). Many universities in Ghana have a rigorous cap regarding those WASSCE (West African Senior School Certificate Examination) scores which limits the number and quality of students entering into the university. Many students are unprepared for the academic rigor that is required in the university setting and due to this, some choose alternative programs (i.e. 2- or 3-year certificated programs instead of a 4-year degree program). Financial obligations that come along with a university education sometimes hold others back from entering school and instead, senior high grads may enter the workforce instead and may later attend a distance-learning course where they can learn on the weekends, evenings, or even online (Donkor, n.d.).

Since 2015, we have had many students finish up their senior high education and move on to attend universities and other training programs around Ghana.  Our first students who entered tertiary education brought about high levels of excitement and expectation as we were seeing so much come to pass in these brave few who were moving onto the next level of their education.  As each year arrives, students graduate and move on, while new students prepare to join their predecessors.  We have even been given the amazing opportunity to assist others outside the CORM community with their University education as scholarship students.  This year alone, we have seen three of our CORM children graduate from University, two students who were on scholarships graduate, and five students moving from senior high into tertiary education programs around the country!  This means that in the 2025-2026 academic year, City of Refuge Ministries will be supporting 16 students through various degree and diploma programs in a number of various universities and training schools as well as providing scholarships for an additional four students.  Besides school tuitions, we also provide funds for room and board, transportation, books, and other needs as they learn and grow in their various programs.  

Now, with over 20 University and training school graduates, City of Refuge Ministries continues to support and encourage these young adults as they have begun to launch into the world as young professionals--working in offices, hospitals, businesses, schools, factories, and more throughout the country. While the work of raising up our young children continues, launching healthy, competent, and capable adults into the world and trusting the future of Ghana in their hands--that is a whole new kind of parenting!

Our University scholarships are such a valuable way to offer hope and a future for our children. Our regular child sponsorships cover only a small portion of what it costs each year to cover the education of our students in university and training schools. As these amazing students spoke about in their videos, the encouragement and empowerment of City of Refuge Ministries and the faithful giving of their sponsors have made their lives different--and not just their lives, but the lives of so many that they have impacted and will continue to have an impact upon. By partnering with us to support the education of these students, you are partnering with the future visionaries, leaders, and caretakers of Ghana.

To partner with us to provide scholarship opportunities to Universities and trade schools for our students completing senior high school, click below:

Scholarships

Works Cited:

Dadzie, C. E., Fumey, M., Namara, S., & International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. (2020). Youth Employment Programs in Ghana: options for effective policy making and implementation. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-1-4648-1579-9

Donkor, I. (n.d.). Declining tertiary transition rate despite free SHS. Modern Ghana. Retrieved October 27, 2025, from https://www.modernghana.com/news/1282029/declining-tertiary-transition-rate-despite-free.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com#google_vignette

Ghana Primary school completion rate - data, chart | TheGlobalEconomy.com. (n.d.). TheGlobalEconomy.com. https://www.theglobaleconomy.com/Ghana/Primary_school_completion_rate/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

TRADING ECONOMICS. (n.d.). Ghana - School enrollment, tertiary (% gross) - 2025 data 2026 forecast 1971-2023 historical. https://tradingeconomics.com/ghana/school-enrollment-tertiary-percent-gross-wb-data.html