GTEC Expresses Concern Over the Surge in Irrelevant Academic Programs at Ghana’s Universities
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has raised concerns about the growing trend among tertiary institutions, particularly public universities, to introduce new academic programs that do not align with the country’s current needs. According to GTEC, many of these programs are often adopted without proper consideration for local relevance and are frequently copied from foreign institutions without incorporating Ghanaian context or content.
The Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, expressed his frustrations regarding this issue at the opening ceremony of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) higher education project conference, held in Accra last Thursday. The international conference, which drew participants from academia and policy-making circles worldwide, was focused on “Motivating Higher Education Reforms in Ghana—Towards Equity and Sustainability” under the broader theme, “Transforming Universities for 21st Century Africa.”
Prof. Jinapor emphasized that many of the new academic programs introduced in Ghana’s tertiary institutions lack relevance to the country’s developmental goals and are not tailored to address the specific challenges facing the nation. To address this, GTEC is working to introduce more rigorous approval processes for new programs to ensure that they meet both national and local needs.
The Need for Reform in Higher Education
This call for reform comes at a critical time when Ghana’s higher education sector is grappling with several challenges. The expansion of student populations has outpaced the growth of infrastructure, and there has been insufficient investment in modernizing facilities. Additionally, the country’s universities are heavily reliant on aging faculty, with a growing shortage of qualified academic staff.
As part of its ongoing efforts to address these challenges, GTEC has been actively involved in improving staffing levels. Prof. Jinapor announced that the Ministry of Education had given financial clearance for the recruitment of 1,341 staff to replace those who had left the system. Despite this, the sector remains dependent on post-retirement contract appointments, with the government’s annual expenditure on these contracts exceeding GH¢127 million in public universities.
In the 2024/2025 academic year alone, GTEC processed 231 applications for post-retirement contracts from universities, with 111 senior lecturers and 120 professors requesting reappointment. This dependency on older faculty members underscores the challenges of faculty development and the need for a more sustainable approach to staffing in the country’s universities.
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Addressing Staffing and Capacity Building
In an effort to address staffing shortages, GTEC has proposed that universities be allowed to automatically replace exited staff, under the commission’s supervision. This move is aimed at ensuring that the sector has enough qualified personnel to meet the increasing demand for higher education in the country.
GTEC is also working to improve the quality of research and scholarly output in Ghana’s universities. The commission will host its first “GTEC Harmattan School” in 2025, a capacity-building event focused on scholarly research writing and grantsmanship. The school will be held at the University for Development Studies, providing a platform for academics to enhance their research skills and engage with international experts in their fields.
A Call for African Unity in Higher Education
During the conference, Prof. Toyin Falola, a professor of political science at the University of Pretoria, South Africa, made a compelling call for greater collaboration among African universities. Speaking via Zoom, he urged regulatory bodies across the continent to allow PhD and master’s students to present their theses in local languages, a move he believes would enhance the accessibility of higher education and make it more relevant to African communities.
Furthermore, Prof. Falola advocated for the development of joint PhD and master’s programs between African universities. He argued that such collaboration could help address the challenges posed by the rapidly growing youth population in Africa. By 2030, the youth population on the continent is expected to reach 830 million, many of whom may face unemployment and social instability. Prof. Falola’s remarks underscore the importance of ensuring that higher education in Africa is relevant, accessible, and aligned with the continent’s socio-economic needs.
Conclusion
The concerns raised by GTEC and the proposals made during the GAAS conference highlight the urgent need for reform in Ghana’s higher education sector. As the country’s universities continue to grow, it is crucial that they focus on developing academic programs that are both locally relevant and responsive to the changing demands of society. With initiatives like the GTEC Harmattan School and the push for faculty development, GTEC is taking steps toward addressing the sector’s challenges. Additionally, collaboration across African universities and the adaptation of local languages in academic work could play a key role in transforming higher education across the continent to meet the needs of the 21st century.
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