The Dilemmas of postgraduate education in Ghana: Remedying directions

1. The Dilemmas of postgraduate education in Ghana: Remedying directions Jophus Anamuah-Mensah jophusam@gmail.com

2. Focus • Introduction • State of postgraduate education in Ghana • Issues or dilemmas in postgraduate education • Postgraduate production • Doctoral production • Research publications • Other issues • Remedying measures • Conclusions

3. “The most valuable assets of the 20th-century company were its production equipment. The most valuable asset of 21st-century institution (whether business or non-business) will be its knowledge workers and their productivity. “ (P. Drucker, 1959)

4. Universities exist to provide…… • Research, and innovation – continues with the body of reason & rational thought. • Teaching or training – infect others with rational thought. • Community engagement or economic development.- apply this body of reason to development challenges.

5. What happened to Legon? Knowledge as a Factor in Income Differences between the Republics of Ghana and Korea (1956 to 1990) Source: World Bank 1999 World Development Report 1998/1999: Knowledge for Development. Oxford University Press

6. Promote graduate work • “Graduate students are the drivers of long-term innovation through their research and also go on to become a highly skilled and highly qualified workforce that is needed in a knowledge-based economy.” (Andrew Balon, 2010. The Evidence, 6th May) • Graduate students are an absolute necessity for researchers to conduct their research. Once they graduate and enter the labour market, these students form a highly skilled labour force that contributes to Ghana’s economic development.

7. Importance of university research Universities without research activities run the risk of becoming glorified secondary schools. They are unable to generate new knowledge for themselves, academia and the country. They are unable to produce the stream of academic staff candidates necessary to sustain the university enterprise. And they are unable to teach students essential analytical and problem-solving skills. In the long run, governments neglect university research capacity at the cost of future development possibilities. Capacity building in university research is therefore a fundamental element for the revitalisation of African universities (Revitalizing universities in Africa, strategy and guidelines)

8. Importance of university research-1 Universities in Africa are reservoirs of knowledge….. of intellectual property ….It is therefore imperative that the universities, should lead in research (NgothowaKariuki, 2007) If universities cannot excel in research, they cannot therefore, provide or create new knowledge. Lack of sufficient research undermines the very core business of the Africa Universities and undermines sustainable development.

9. D.E.C.L.I.N.E in research & postgraduate training • Dearth of Research Output • Emphasis on teaching (Academic, Admin. and Technical) • Culture of mediocrity • Lowering of Academic Standards. Lack of committed staff • Inefficient Research Support Systems • No Systemic Implementation of Vision • Emergence of counterproductive cultures- galamsey

10. % of Postgraduate and other students in the first six public universities over selected years Of the over 10,243 postgraduates in 2011/12, only 855 (0.78%) were enrolled in PhD programmes. This constitutes 0.78% of total student enrolment and 8.4% of postgraduate students enrolment..

11. Graduate output for public university 2010/11 Using the proportion of PhD students in UG (6.6%) as the standard for all universities, the total of PhDs is estimated to be 240. Compare this to PhD production rate of 1,500 a year in South Africa from 13 institutions, 25,000 for Germany from 140 institutions and 35,000 for China.

12. Indicators of knowledge production activities in some African universities 2001-2007 Source: Adapted from Cloete, Bailey & Maassen (2011)

13. Some indicators of research activities in public universities: Publications - Ghana and other SSA countries* (UNESCO, 2011) * 2008 figures

14. Some indicators of research activities in public universities: Patents awarded to inventors by USPTO 2005-2009 These indicators raise issues about our universities as centres of knowledge production and the need to ensure adequate research funding.

15. Ranks of full time teaching staff 2009/10

16. University R&D in Science & Engineering by source of funds-USA (2006)

17. Characteristics of high quality postgraduate research universities

18. Government’s role in research funding • - Mandatory to adequately finance • and promote research; • - Minimum of 1% of GDP should be set aside for research; • - Identify national priority areas for research and innovation; • - Govt should give research contracts to universities; • - Set up separate funding mechanism for research infrastructure; • Set up National Research fund to • promote inter-university competition • - Use competitive block grant formula-based funding to promote research within univ;

19. Funding of Research Through Formula-based Approach RESEARCH OUTPUT RESEARCH MASTERS GRADUATES RESEARCH PUBLICATION RESEARCH PhDs GRADUATES $15,000 $45,000

20. University’s role in promoting postgraduate Research: Institutional strategies: - Structures • 10-15% of university’s budget including • IGF should be allocated to research; • University’s strategic plan should include a postgraduate training & research component • The university to set up University Research Fund (URF) to promote intra-university competition • Promote Endowment fund, Annual-giving events, alumni contributions.

21. Conclusion

22. Some Key Issues to Take Home! • Postgraduate Training and Research needs a radically new focus. • Business as Usual is NOT an Option • If We fail in postgraduate education and research, we fail in Everything. • To be competitive as a World Class universities, our institutions will need research funding from government.

23. Growth Patterns in a Research University Target Global Universities Accelerated Growth Quest for Excellence 20% post graduates Target Global Universities Normal Growth DECLINE Business As Usual 0.5% postgraduates 2030 2012 Timeline Adapted from Chris Gordon (2012)

24. We Have To Run and Not Walk