Did you know that private higher education in on the rise in Ghana and Africa?Read about why and what consequences it is having on Ghana in my feature article in University World News - a newsletter about global and local academic trends.
You can subscribe to the African version of the informative newsletter here.
Picture of a sculpture of a graduate from a public Ghanaian university, University of Ghana just outside of Accra. Photo: Kerstin Alm
3 comments:
Good article and CRUCIAL questions. There absolutely MUST be a board for accreditation of schools and I hope they take a FURTHER step and lobby for Africa-wide standards (such as what is happening here in Europe with the Bologna Process) so that credits will be easily-transferrable across the continent and abroad. I'd be, however, most excited about the building of university colloquiums across the African continent. There are so many bridges that need to be built and education is such a good and (more neutral) place from which to do it.
Hi I liked your article and it did a dispassionate analyses on the issue. I had also had problems with the quality. When I was a graduate student at the University of Ghana, I had students approached me from one particular private university for their research to be conducted for them. It was a pity that most of them didn't even know how to write out the outline of a research project...what should go into chapter 1, 2 etc. Most of them, I realised, were there for the degree and not for the knowledge. I tried to work with them but they wouldn't agree. They want it done for them at a fee. Consequently, I told myself I would not employ, if I ever become an employer, someone from a private university until he or she has proven to be outstanding. I was shocked. Simple research proposal was a problem. Searching for information on the net and in the libraries was a daunting task which they had to shed whatever the cost, financial and academic, might be.
Hi Camille and Nana,
see this is why I like blogging - one gets instant feedback! Thanks for reading the article and adding your own concerns.
Transferrability should be prioritized since that would allow students to "vote with their feet" if quality is not up to their standards.
It sounds horrible that students try to purchase research reports (this is however not a unique problem to private institutions - I read that some 100 students were expelled from KNUST for cheating just last year), but not surprising when we see our leaders take shortcuts all the time...
Post a Comment