Deadline Date: November 21, 2025
UNICEF Ghana and the Ghana Education Service are calling for innovative and affordable solutions to accurately track the enrolment, retention, and learning of out-of-school children in Ghana.
The challenge seeks to develop an innovative and affordable solution that accurately tracks enrolment, retention, and learning of out-of-school children in Ghana.
Despite progress in expanding school participation, thousands of children in Ghana remain excluded from education due to poverty, gender inequalities, disability, and rural isolation. At the primary level, disparities persist, with 16 percent of children from the poorest households out of school compared to only 1 percent among the wealthiest. Rural children continue to face higher out-of-school rates than their urban peers, and approximately 283,000 primary-age children and 135,000 lower secondary-age children are not enrolled in school. The challenge is even greater at the upper secondary level, where about 610,000 children remain out of school.
The winning startup will receive a $5,000 prototype funding grant, direct mentorship from UNICEF Ghana and Ghana Education Service experts, and a partnership to co-create and pilot their solution for national impact.
Children with disabilities face the most severe barriers, with 39.4 percent of persons with disabilities aged five years and above having never attended school. These inequalities emphasize the urgency of targeted interventions to make education inclusive and equitable. Moreover, many children who do attend school still struggle with foundational learning, especially literacy and numeracy, limiting their long-term educational and economic opportunities.
Early exclusion from education perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality. Global evidence shows that children who fail to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills by age 10 are at high risk of dropping out entirely. The challenge therefore prioritizes community-driven, inclusive, and affordable innovations that ensure every child has access to education and learning opportunities.
For more information, visit UNICEF.
