A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE GHANAIAN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM Introduction Ghana is endowed with a good education system a statement made by BBC News monitoring Department. The History of education in Ghana dates back to 1592. Over the centuries education has had different goals, from spreading the Gospel to creating an elite group to run the colony. After Ghana gained its independence in 1957 the education system, then modelled on the British system, has undergone a series of reforms. Especially the reforms in the 1980s geared the education system away from purely academic to more in tune with the nations manpower needs The present structure of education, which starts at the age of 6 years, consists of 6 years of primary education, 3 years of Junior Secondary School, 3 years of Senior Secondary School and 4 years University or courses at other tertiary institutions The first 9 years form the basic education and are free and compulsory A brief history of Ghanas Education System The Mercantile Era As was the case in many colonies during the early colonial period, the main goal of education was to Make civilization march hand-in-hand with evangelisation. This statement gives a clear description of how education in Ghana was implemented. Initially it was the Danish, Dutch and English merchants who set up schools in their Forts (Christianborg Castle Accra  Danish, Elmina Castle  Portuguese then Dutch and Cape Coast Castle  British) to educate their mulatto children by native women. Unmistakably linked to the implementation of formal education in Ghana were the Christian Missionaries, who realized that in order to spread the word of God they needed well-educated local assistants. John Von Richelieu, one of the Danish Governors to Ghana, approached the Basel Mission Society of Switzerland in 1828. They played an important role in establishing an education network in Ghana. Representatives of this organisation were able to convince the Chiefs of Ghana in 1832 to send their children to the Government School at Osu. Thus creating acceptance for formal education. They also concentrated on the interior of Ghana, away from the European influences on the coast. Besides reading, writing and arithmetic, workshops were organised for students to acquire practical skills. Carpentry, masonry, blacksmithing, shoemaking and sewing for girls were taught, as well as practical agriculture and medical and health education. One of the greatest achievements of the Basel Mission Society was the transcription of local languages (Twi, Ewe and Ga languages) to facilitate education and the spreading of the Gospel. By 1894, 62 years after their arrival in Ghana, they had established a Training College, 3 grammar schools, seven boarding schools for boys and girls and 98-day schools.