Generally, research on educational management omits its impact on pupils’ academic performance in basic schools. This research fills this gap by assessing the effect of quality education management functions on the academic performance of pupils in government basic schools in Ghana. A questionnaire was used to obtain data from headteachers, teachers, pupils, and the Parents’ and Teacher Association, totalling 240 respondents from 15 schools in Accra-Ghana. The findings indicated that teachers’ effort has the highest impact on pupils’ academic performance among all the managerial function variables in the research. The research recommends that the Ghana government and educational stakeholders emulate Singapore’s system of teacher development, which has enabled them to achieve educational excellence acknowledged across the globe.

The government of Ghana has demonstrated its ambition to achieve Sustainable Development Goals SDGs—presently a global catch-cry—through numerous educational developments. However, Ghana still battles with the tensions of environmental degradation such as illegal mining, water pollution, bad farming practices, and improper waste disposal, among several others. Therefore, this paper explores lifelong learning and sustainable development in Ghana. This is done through the implementation of retrospective literature evaluation and qualitative methods. The paper employs available literature and a hands-on study, which commences by tracking the history of lifelong learning, the importance of lifelong learning, and how Ghana demonstrates its support of lifelong learning to ensure sustainable development. A critical analysis is conducted on the reasons why Ghana persistently battles with environmental degradation. Numerous examples are presented as evidence to support the findings and formulate recommendations. The identification of these obstacles to achieving SDGs will enable the government, policymakers and citizens of Ghana to contribute their quota to the achievement of SDGs. This study will also help Ghana to redeem its natural resources, which have deteriorated over time.

Youth unemployment has been a major concern for African governments in recent times. A factor that contributes to this is employers who have ridiculous hiring requirements that become an impediment for most applicants. Although the literature blames school leadership and the school environment as the main causes of graduate unemployment, there seems to be a paucity of literature on the actual causes of graduate unemployment and the reasons for their poor performance in the workforce. This study assesses the actual causes of graduate unemployment in Africa and suggests remedies to salvage the situation. It provides a content analysis of papers presented at conferences, magazines, books, reports, and existing literature on academic articles. This study discovered that graduates lack work experience, computer skills, soft skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, etc. and these are the key drivers of youth unemployment in Africa. The study recommends that graduates should undertake an internship or voluntary work to acquire work experience and learn soft skills such as courtesy, politeness, and good manners at the workplace. They should also learn how to use basic computer software packages, find mentors in the profession who will guide them on the job, pursue life-long learning education, have a back-up career, and learn presentation skills. These are the remedies that will prepare new graduates to find their dream job.

The persistent educational reforms and interventions in Ghana’s education system showcase the government’s ambition to make Ghana Education Service a first-class institution that guarantees the right to education for millions of Ghanaians and engenders the attainment of quality education (Sustainable Development Goal 4). This article shows how the Ghanaian government has provided free senior high school education, capitation grants, free lunch, personal protective equipment for all schools as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, and a new curriculum that includes complementary education for a sustainable educational system. Yet, it is interesting to note that the Ghanaian government continuously implements educational interventions without consideration for policies and implementation strategies to sustain them. This study implements textual analysis of some reviewed literature including articles, academic papers, magazines, books, and reports. It discovered that many educational reforms face great obstacles that mar the attainment of the reforms’ objectives because educational policies in Ghana are based on the incumbent president’s manifesto, causing policymaking in Ghana to suffer compromises and negotiations at the parliamentary level. This study suggests that educational policymaking in Ghana should be left in the custody of educational philosophers who are policymakers to separate it from political relationships (the politics-administration dichotomy) because politics and administration are inherently different. Also, teachers’ and principals’ professional development should be encouraged, and educational facilities and equipment should be provided to sustain educational development in Ghana.