DEVELOPING AND RETAINING THE DEVELOPING AND RETAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS: NEXT GENERATION OF ACADEMICS: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES IN EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES IN

NATIONAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT: THE NATIONAL POLICY ENVIRONMENT: THE CASE OF GHANACASE OF GHANA

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PAUL EFFAH PAUL EFFAH EXECUTIVE SECRETARY EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR TERTIARY NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION, ACCRA, GHANAEDUCATION, ACCRA, GHANA.

OUTLINEOUTLINE

The Academic CommunityThe Role of Academic StaffCharacteristics of World – Class

UniversitiesStatistics on the Ghanaian situationPolicy InterventionsRole of Supervisory BodiesConclusion

THE ACADEMIC COMMUNITYTHE ACADEMIC COMMUNITY

StudentsAcademic staffNon – academic staff

THE ROLE OF ACADEMIC STAFFTHE ROLE OF ACADEMIC STAFF

Research, teaching, service and development

Summed up in Kerr (1963:100)

“In every real sense the faculty is the university, its most productive element, its source of distinction”

CHARACTERISTICS OF WORLD – CLASS CHARACTERISTICS OF WORLD – CLASS UNIVERSITIES (Ambrose King cited by UNIVERSITIES (Ambrose King cited by

Kathryn Mohrman, 2005)Kathryn Mohrman, 2005)

Prolific faculty publishing in “top – defining” journals

Graduate student body, international in character

Graduates employable anywhere in the world

SOME STATISTICS ON THE SOME STATISTICS ON THE GHANAIAN SITUATIONGHANAIAN SITUATION

Only an average of 5% of the student population in universities are postgraduates

Only about a third of the academic staff in the universities have PhD’s, normally the acceptable qualification for lectureship position

The normal academic pyramid should be 20% professoriate, 30% senior lecturers and 50% lecturers. The average respective percentages are 15, 23 and 62. The University of Ghana is an exception with 21, 31 and 48 percent respectively for the various positions.

Only 24% of academic staff are below age 40. About 42% are above 50 with 12% above 60.

High student : teacher ratios persist.

SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONSSOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS

Introduction of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund)

GETFund allocation for Faculty Development and Research

Payment of Book and Research Allowance

Improved conditions of service through the development of a 5-year roadmap.

SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS (Contd)(Contd)

Scholarships/bursaries including university scholarship schemes

Review of postgraduate studies to emphasize science and technology

Ranking of academic departments

Establishment of internal quality assurance units

Innovations in postgraduate studies Problem and theme-based Multi disciplinary research Professional socialization through multiple mentoring Professional skills training Inclusion of international components and collaboration Mentoring/apprenticeship

SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS (Contd)

SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS (Contd)(Contd)

Development of split-site programmes

Improvement of general academic environment through donor funded projects like the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF) or the Government of Netherlands through NUFFIC

SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS (Contd)(Contd)

Introduction of Dual Track Policy;- foreign and Ghanaian fee paying students quota

Introduction of Academic and Residential Facilities User Fees

Introduction of students loan scheme managed by the Students Loan Trust

SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS SOME POLICY INTERVENTIONS (Contd)(Contd)

Enrolment into science and arts programmes

Freeze on recruitmentsAdmissions through less endowed senior high schools and bridging programmes

Affirmative action for femalesUniversity-Industry partnerships

THE ROLE OF REGULATORY BODIESTHE ROLE OF REGULATORY BODIES

NCTENABNABPTEX

A ThoughtA ThoughtThe tragedy of life is not that we die, but what dies inside a man while he lives.

Albert Schweitzer

Thank Thank YouYou