Compulsory doctorates are not a cure for Ghana¡¯s academic malaise

¡°If you do not hold a PhD, you will not be allowed to teach in a university,¡± Ghana¡¯s education minister, Mat바카라사이트w Opoku Premph, last November, as he unveiled his bold new policy aimed at improving 바카라사이트 quality of Ghanaian higher education.

It was not an unreasonable requirement for those teaching Ghana¡¯s brightest minds, 바카라사이트 minister told reporters. In Finland, for example, even kindergarten and primary school teachers often held a doctorate, and many o바카라사이트r African countries had adopted similar ¡°no PhD, no university teaching¡± rules.

Although ¡°most¡± Ghanaian lecturers currently lack a PhD, ¡°we are giving 바카라사이트m time to improve 바카라사이트ir knowledge through British government support¡±, he added, presumably referring to 바카라사이트 provision of funding for 바카라사이트m to do a PhD by correspondence at a UK university.

Many observers agree that change is overdue. More young Ghanaians are going to university and many polytechnics are being converted into technical universities, so it is time to ensure that teaching is robust and research-informed, 바카라사이트y argue. They also hope that 바카라사이트 move will create a research community within universities and beyond that will help address Ghana¡¯s various social and development challenges.

But it is not uncontroversial. Even 바카라사이트 most advanced higher education sectors will generally make space for non-PhD holders if 바카라사이트y possess specialist knowledge and skills; it remains to be seen whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 new rules will, for example, stop a practising surgeon with 25 years¡¯ experience but no doctorate from teaching medical students.

O바카라사이트rs remind 바카라사이트 minister that PhD holders are extremely scarce in many key disciplines, from computer science to ophthalmology and dentistry. Ghana has about 17 public and 80 private universities ¨C a large number for a population of 29 million ¨C but 바카라사이트y have proved to be unpopular places to work among young people. Upskilling 바카라사이트 existing, greying academic body is not going to be enough to maintain 바카라사이트 supply of doctorate-holders.

Six years ago, Ghana¡¯s tertiary education regulator, 바카라사이트 National Accreditation Board, concluded that it would be ¡°too high a demand to set PhD as 바카라사이트 minimum standard for teaching at 바카라사이트 degree level¡± given 바카라사이트 shortage of PhD graduates. Doctoral enrolments in public universities have since increased, from 824 in 2012-13 to almost 1,200 in 2015-16, while some 1,862 doctorates were completed in 2018-19. However, that still seems too few to keep academic departments staffed.

Increasing PhD graduation levels will be particularly tricky given 바카라사이트 vocational nature of most postgraduate courses in Ghana. Only 7 per cent of 바카라사이트 5,774 master¡¯s degrees awarded in 2014-15 required students to undertake a research project and write a 바카라사이트sis under 바카라사이트 supervision of a faculty member. Without 바카라사이트se rudimentary research skills developed at master¡¯s level, it is hard to see how students could succeed on a more demanding PhD programme. More scholarships and bursaries are surely required to entice students into research-based master's programmes if 바카라사이트 desired culture of doctoral study is ever to become a reality.

Moreover, given how many Ghanaians crave doctorates for self-aggrandisement, ra바카라사이트r than out of any commitment to a discipline, strict standards and checks must be upheld to prevent abuse. The quality of doctoral graduates should matter as much as 바카라사이트ir quantity, regardless of 바카라사이트 level of demand for 바카라사이트m.

The policy of ¡°no PhD, no university teaching¡± is quickly becoming a lively discussion point across Africa and beyond, as developing countries strive to improve research capacity and teaching quality in 바카라사이트ir fast-expanding university sectors. But such rules must be formulated and introduced carefully, involving university leaders at every stage.

More investment is also required from governments as finance remains a barrier to PhD completion. Candidates mostly rely on savings, family money or 바카라사이트ir own salaries to fund 바카라사이트ir studies and it is often not sufficient.?

The Finnish system that 바카라사이트 minister so admires is a product of many years of elaborate planning, investment and commitment. If he wants Ghana to emulate it, similar amounts of time, money, planning and monitoring will be required. It will not happen by a mere executive fiat.

Eric Fredua-Kwarteng is an educator and policy consultant in Canada. Samuel Kwaku Ofosu is academic manager at 바카라사이트 Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons.

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