A Ghanaian Response to the Study on ‘Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania: Developing an Equity Scorecard’

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 374-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Effah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Policy Initiatives ◽  
Access And Equity ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
Participation In Higher Education

The study on ‘Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania: developing an Equity Scorecard’ is a contribution to making higher education more socially inclusive in sub-Saharan Africa. The findings reinforce some of the policy initiatives taken in Ghana and Tanzania, and underscore the importance of widening participation in higher education, as well as addressing associated issues of equity and quality. Although the higher education sector has expanded tremendously during the past two to three decades, enrolment at the tertiary level falls behind levels obtained in most developed countries. Access and equity continue to be issues, particularly in rural areas. This article responds to some of the findings in the research study. It identifies some of the policy initiatives by government and interventions taken by the tertiary education institutions to address the issue of access and equity in the provision of tertiary education. As a result of these initiatives, some students in rural areas have not only had the opportunity to enrol in competitive professional programmes like medicine and engineering, but have also been provided with avenues for upward social mobility. A number of recommendations are made towards canvassing support for broader involvement of all stakeholders in the process of promoting access and addressing inequalities.

scholarly journals Widening Participation in Ghana and Tanzania

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Morley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Private University ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Research Teams ◽  
Mature Students ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Participation In Higher Education ◽  
Key Questions

?An interrogation under way is whether policies for widening participation in sub-Saharan Africa are working. That was one of the key questions addressed by the research project Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania: Developing an Equity Scorecard. Research teams found that the policies were working in the sense of increasing the overall number of students, especially women, participating in higher education. However, they found that poorer and mature students were still absent from many of the programs investigated in one public and one private university, in both Ghana and Tanzania. The universities included in the study did have quotas for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, but failed to fill them or monitor how many poorer students were participating and completing their studies. Students who did succeed, in entering university, shared helpful insights into their lived experiences.

scholarly journals Inside African Private Higher Education: Contradictions and Challenges

2014 ◽  
pp. 14-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Morley
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Private Universities ◽  
Private Higher Education ◽  
Student Experiences ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Education In Ghana ◽  
Participation In Higher Education

This article discusses the findings that relate to quality and standards in two private universities from a recent research study on widening participation in higher education in Ghana and Tanzania. It interrogates how students experience assessment, facilities, pedagogy and resources and whether the private universities attach value to the quality of student experiences. 

‘I don’t want to go to a crummy little university’: social class, higher education choice and the paradox of widening participation

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tina Byrom
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Class ◽  
Young People ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Summer School ◽  
Widening Participation ◽  
Education Choice ◽  
School Based ◽  
Institutional Habitus ◽  
Participation In Higher Education

Whilst there has been growing attention paid to the imbalance of Higher Education (HE) applications according to social class, insufficient attention has been paid to the successful minority of working-class young people who do secure places in some of the UK’s leading HE institutions. In particular, the influence and nature of pre-university interventions on such students’ choice of institution has been under-explored. Data from an ESRC-funded PhD study of 16 young people who participated in a Sutton Trust Summer School are used to illustrate how the effects of a school-based institutional habitus and directed intervention programmes can be instrumental in guiding student choices and decisions relating to participation in Higher Education.

scholarly journals Higher Education and Economic Growth in Africa

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
David E. Bloom ◽  
David Canning ◽  
Kevin Chan ◽  
Dara Lee Luca
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Economic Growth ◽  
International Development ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Développement Économique ◽  
Education And Economic Growth

Enrollment rates for higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa are by far the lowest in the world at 6%. Yet because of conventional beliefs that tertiary education is less important for poverty reduction, the international development community has encouraged African governments’ relative neglect of higher education. This article challenges beliefs that tertiary education has little role in promoting economic growth and alleviating poverty. First, we review recent evidence that higher education can produce significant public and private benefits. Next, we analyze the relationship between tertiary education and economic growth. We find evidence that tertiary education improves technological catch-up and, in doing so, may help to maximize Africa’s potential to achieve more rapid economic growth given current constraints. Investing in tertiary education in Africa may accelerate technological diffusion, which would in turn decrease knowledge gaps and help reduce poverty in the region. We also review new developments and trends in the higher education scene in Africa. Le taux d’inscription dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique sub-saharienne est de loin le plus faible du monde, atteignant seulement 6%. Pourtant, parce que l’enseignement supérieur est perçu comme moins important que les enseignements primaire et secondaire pour lutter contre la pauvreté, la communauté internationale a encouragé les gouvernements africains à moins y prêter attention. Cet article conteste l’idée que l’enseignement supérieur joue un rôle peu important dans le développement économique et la lutte contre la pauvreté. Tout d’abord, nous nous intéressons à de récents résultats qui montrent que l’enseignement supérieur crée des bénéfices publics et privés. Ensuite, nous analysons la relation entre l’enseignement supérieur et la croissance économique. Nous montrons que l’enseignement supérieur permet de rattraper le retard technologique et, ce faisant, pourrait aider l’Afrique à maximiser sa capacité à accélérer sa croissance économique dans les conditions actuelles. Investir dans l’enseignement supérieur en Afrique pourrait permettre une diffusion plus rapide des avancées technologiques, qui pourrait à son tour réduire la disparité de savoir et participer à la réduction de la pauvreté dans la région. Nous passons aussi en revue les nouveautés et tendances dans l’enseignement supérieur africain.

AVU's Experience in Increasing Access to Quality Higher Education through e-Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa

2010 ◽  
pp. 165-179
Author(s):  
Bakary Diallo ◽  
Sidiki Traoré ◽  
Therrezinha Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Tertiary Education ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Governmental Organization ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Open Education Resources

Universities and other tertiary institutions in developing nations around the world are facing major challenges in meeting the demand for increasing access to higher education (HE): limitations imposed by inadequate funding, poor infrastructure and sometimes lack of political vision, added to the demographic explosion, make it almost impossible for some of these developing nations to ensure access to all to higher education solely through the conventional face-to-face mode. In this context, the Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are providing an alternative to face-to-face education. Moreover, they have the potential to significantly increase access to quality higher education, improve management of tertiary institutions, increase access to educational resources through digital libraries and open education resources, foster collaboration and networking between universities, foster collaboration between the private sector and tertiary institutions, enhance sub-regional and regional integration and facilitate the mobility of teachers and graduates. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the African Virtual University (AVU), a Pan African Inter-Governmental Organization initially launched in Washington in 1997 as a World Bank project, works with a number of countries toward reaching the goal of increasing access to quality higher education and training programmes through the use of ICTs. The AVU has been the first-of-itskind in this regard to serve the Sub-Saharan African countries. In this chapter, the AVU’s twelve years experience in delivering and improving access to quality higher distance education throughout Africa will be discussed. The AVU has trained more than 40,000 students since its inception; this is the proof that it is possible to achieve democratization of tertiary education in Africa despite many challenges.

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