Paper short abstract:

Global education discourse, led by Western experts, often overlooks local nuances. Using Ghana as an example, this paper explores how families and children perceive education access amidst detached expert solutions, emphasizing the need for inclusive approaches to address the global education crisis

Paper long abstract:

The discussion surrounding the global education crisis is predominantly orchestrated by experts, consultants, and international agencies, primarily from Western perspectives. These narratives, framed in terms like learning crisis and variability in learning, gain prominence due to global processes that dictate acceptable knowledge and the politics of global knowledge production. Unfortunately, the nuanced understanding of education crisis in specific regions, such as Africa, seldom takes center stage in knowledge creation. This paper delves into Ghana as a case study, seeking to address a crucial question: what does education access mean for families and children—the intended beneficiaries—amidst the proposed solutions championed by international experts? The objective is to unravel how families and children in the collectivistic society of Africa interpret global education crisis and the recommended solutions, often driven by experts whose experiences are detached from their respective contexts. The inquiry also aims to scrutinize the alignment of these conceptualizations and proposed solutions with the ground realities of global education crisis. Instead of prioritizing expert viewpoints, this paper concentrates on the perspectives of the population directly affected—families and children—who are frequently excluded from the sense-making processes occurring at national and global levels where education crisis is problematized, and solutions are formulated. By emphasizing their voices, the paper seeks to contribute a more holistic understanding to the discourse on global education crisis whilst inviting readers to consider the different stakeholders and perspectives involved in shaping the narrative around global education crisis.