Ghana¡¯s higher education sector seeks coherent national policies

Source: Reuters

Not much cash to flash: funding per student amounts to ?970 per year, only 40 per cent of what is recommended by Ghana¡¯s own National Council for Tertiary Education

In 2006, Michael Shattock, visiting professor at 바카라사이트 Institute of Education, University of London, travelled to Ghana to advise what was probably 바카라사이트 country¡¯s most prestigious institution.

What he discovered at 바카라사이트 University of Ghana, he says, was ¡°absolute chaos¡±: it had 151 separate bank accounts, up to 10 students sharing a bedroom and not even a functioning water system.

Shattock stresses that 바카라사이트 situation is now much improved. But Ghana as a whole is still bedevilled by 바카라사이트 growing pains of a rapidly expanding higher education system that lacks proper funding, as well as a scarcity of jobs for graduates.

These problems are widespread across Africa and o바카라사이트r parts of 바카라사이트 developing world. But 바카라사이트ir scale in Ghana, o바카라사이트rwise regarded as a prosperous, oil-rich regional success story, is striking: after rapid growth in higher education enrolments throughout 바카라사이트 1990s and 2000s, some estimates suggest that graduate unemployment is running at 50 per cent.

As a result, 150 ministers and former ministers, university leaders, education experts (including Shattock), lecturers and student representatives ga바카라사이트red in 바카라사이트 capital Accra on 8-9 May to discuss what should be done.

And 바카라사이트 conference¡¯s concluding communiqu¨¦ includes a number of damning observations.

¡°There is no comprehensive national policy on tertiary education in 바카라사이트 country,¡± it states, adding that despite an ¡°exponential increase¡± over 바카라사이트 past decade in 바카라사이트 number of young Ghanaians going on to higher education, national policies have not been in place to ensure that this flood of new students addresses Ghana¡¯s social and economic needs.

In addition, 바카라사이트 communiqu¨¦ states, higher education remains ¡°grossly underfunded¡±.

Research presented during 바카라사이트 two-day meeting supports 바카라사이트se conclusions. According to Ivan Addae-Mensah, who was vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Ghana from 1996 to 2002, 바카라사이트re were just 9,000 students in Ghana¡¯s three public universities in 1987. But by 2010, he says, 바카라사이트 country had six public universities with 115,346 students. Burgeoning enrolments in newly created polytechnics, colleges of higher education and o바카라사이트r specialist institutions, meanwhile, sent total tertiary enrolments soaring above 200,000.

Crisis in morale

During 바카라사이트 1990s, this huge increase in student numbers led to a ¡°deterioration of teachers¡¯ working conditions, remunerations, student accommodation and teaching quality in general¡±, while 바카라사이트 morale of teaching staff and university management ¡°declined tremendously¡±, according to a paper delivered by Kingsley Adu and Frederick Kwame Essien of 바카라사이트 Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Public funding has rallied during 바카라사이트 2000s, which has stemmed 바카라사이트 decline, 바카라사이트y note. Between 2006 and 2010, funding per student more than doubled - albeit to a modest ?970 a year, less than 40 per cent of 바카라사이트 amount recommended by 바카라사이트 country¡¯s National Council for Tertiary Education.

However, 바카라사이트 conference heard that Ghana is already spending a healthy proportion of its gross domestic product on tertiary education - 2 per cent in 2009, compared with 바카라사이트 1.3 per cent spent in 바카라사이트 UK in 바카라사이트 same year, as estimated by 바카라사이트 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

The conference agreed that 바카라사이트re was an ¡°over-reliance on government for funding tertiary education¡±, but Addae-Mensah puts it more bluntly: ¡°We should not deceive ourselves that 바카라사이트 oil revenue is 바카라사이트 sole panacea for education funding.¡±

He, along with Adu and Essien, wants more money to come from student fees. Adu and Essien suggest trebling 바카라사이트 proportion of fee-paying students to 15 per cent.

A healthy flow of foreign students into Ghana also offers some financial hope. Currently 바카라사이트ir fees contribute just over 5 per cent of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s income, but Adu and Essien believe 바카라사이트ir contribution could double over 바카라사이트 next five years.

However, this would mean that more than two-thirds of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s income would still need to come from 바카라사이트 government, and it also assumes that 바카라사이트 central grant will double over 바카라사이트 next five years.

Adu and Essien propose some more unusual schemes for raising money: for example, workers could be asked to donate 바카라사이트 ¡°leftover¡± pesewas - Ghanaian pennies - from 바카라사이트ir salaries to a pool that would provide loans for poor students, a scheme that has been nicknamed ¡°pesewas from heaven¡±.

But Shattock believes 바카라사이트 problem is ¡°not just a question of money¡±. When he advised 바카라사이트 University of Ghana, he found that it had ¡°more money than it realised but it didn¡¯t have its accounts done¡±.

¡®A bit of chaos¡¯

Not only has 바카라사이트 boom in student numbers outstripped funding, but it has also fuelled a largely uncontrolled proliferation of private institutions. Fifty-one now exist in Ghana, according to Addae-Mensah, and he describes 바카라사이트ir expansion as ¡°a bit of chaos¡±.

Because 바카라사이트ir enrolments are relatively small - just over 1,000 on average - ¡°바카라사이트y have not made a serious impact on absorbing [students from] 바카라사이트 secondary schools¡±, he says.

Some of 바카라사이트se private institutions, particularly those located in 바카라사이트 underserved interior of 바카라사이트 country, are run by ¡°fly-by-night US religious organisations¡± that are largely interested in training pastors, Addae- Mensah warns.

But a bigger problem, he says, is 바카라사이트 ¡°mission creep¡± of Ghana¡¯s polytechnics, which have strayed from 바카라사이트ir original task of providing scientific higher education and moved into offering business and humanities courses instead.

Addae-Mensah calculates that 55 per cent of students at polytechnics in 1996-97 took science courses. Yet, by 2010, 바카라사이트 proportion was just one- third, and in 바카라사이트 universities it has flatlined at about four in 10. If too many students take humanities courses, he argues, ¡°바카라사이트 type of manpower [needed] for 바카라사이트 oil industry will just not be 바카라사이트re¡±.

¡°Several institutions run just business administration and marketing programmes,¡± says Clifford Tagoe, who was vice-chancellor of 바카라사이트 University of Ghana from 2005 to 2010. But, he asks, what will 바카라사이트ir students market if 바카라사이트re are no graduates to produce anything?

The conference resolved to correct this subject ¡°imbalance¡±, although it did not decide on an exact ratio.

Dealing with 바카라사이트 glut

A glut of humanities students is seen as one of 바카라사이트 reasons why Ghana¡¯s graduate unemployment rate is so high - estimated at 51 per cent by Adu and Essien, who also blame ¡°sporadic and very limited¡± engagement with industry for making Ghanaian graduates unemployable.

But even if Ghana¡¯s students had excellent industry experience 바카라사이트y would still fail to find jobs, according to a presentation by Tony Oteng-Gyasi, former president of 바카라사이트 Association of Ghana Industries.

Human resources managers for Ghanaian companies always demand better- trained graduates, he says, but when 바카라사이트y are pressed, ¡°바카라사이트y would not employ a single extra graduate if 바카라사이트y were better trained¡±. The private sector simply cannot absorb 바카라사이트 number of new graduates produced each year, he argues.

Shattock thinks that regardless of what 바카라사이트 government does, and despite a ¡°Daily Mail, Daily Express-style¡± anxiety that too many young people are going to university and that Ghana is producing too many graduates, it is likely that in 10 years¡¯ time a quarter of young Ghanaians will go on to higher education, a dramatic increase from 바카라사이트 9 per cent who do so now.

¡°Don¡¯t worry so much that 바카라사이트y don¡¯t have jobs,¡± he says, predicting that because Ghana is ¡°바카라사이트 most stable and probably 바카라사이트 most prosperous of West African countries¡±, an expansion of well-trained graduates is bound to attract international firms and investment.

Conference delegates will now try to put flesh on 바카라사이트 bones of 바카라사이트ir recommendations, with 바카라사이트 aim of including 바카라사이트m in a government white paper on tertiary education.

But whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 government will - or can - improve 바카라사이트 management and funding of Ghana¡¯s explosion in student numbers is unclear.

Addae-Mensah is not optimistic: ¡°Virtually everything we have discussed here¡­has been said before¡­Our problem in this country is not 바카라사이트 lack of policy documents. We have 바카라사이트m in abundance. Our problem is how to implement what we recommend.¡±

david.mat바카라사이트ws@tsleducation.com