The Institute for Educational Planning and Administration (IEPA) was established in 1975 through UNESCO/UNDP collaboration. IEPA has the mandate to train experts and non-experts in Ministries of Education (MoE) and other educational entities both public and private. This is done with the relevant research based evidence on educational planning and administration for policy development.

The mission of the Institute is to generate and disseminate reliable information through research to inform educational policy and implementation. As an equal opportunity institute, it invests in people by providing professional training, research and consultancy services for practitioners in Ministries of Education and other educational entities in both the public and private sectors. Through seminars, workshops, conferences, public lectures as well as university courses, the IEPA is expected to bring together all stakeholders in education to facilitate constant communication between leaders, planners and administrators, as well as experts and generalists in the field of education.

A critical review of educational policy and practice suggests that formal academic preparation in educational administration has not been a pre-requisite for the appointment of school heads and educational administrators in Ghana. Appointments to such positions are based on years of experience in teaching. However, research evidence of best practices in education globally indicates that for school effectiveness, there is the need for school heads to integrate theory and practice of educational administration. The IEPA was established in August 1975 based on a joint agreement between the Government of Ghana and UNESCO/UNDP. The Institute was mandated by the Ministry of Education to fill up this lacuna which is yet to be achieved and at the vanguard in preparing personnel in educational leadership, management, and planning.

The IEPA has a highly qualified staff with expertise in Educational Management and Leadership, Curriculum Planning and Development, Educational Planning, Policy Analysis, Research and Consultancy. As a centre of excellence, the IEPA maintains its position as the lead institute for the training of highly qualified personnel through the organization of regular graduate programmes, seminars, conferences, workshops and specialised professional courses. From a publicly founded institute, IEPA is increasingly moving towards becoming an autonomous entity.