Who gets to serve the public good? Examining participation in university and the disciplines in Ghana

Since gaining independence, participation in higher education (HE) in Ghana has been seen to be critical for preparing a workforce that would fit the labour market and thus contribute to both individual and national progress.... [ view full abstract ]

Since gaining independence, participation in higher education (HE) in Ghana has been seen to be critical for preparing a workforce that would fit the labour market and thus contribute to both individual and national progress. The country’s goal of developing a knowledgeable and well-trained labour force is in line with the aims of the Sustainable Development Goals, in which higher education is seen as a public good, and to act for the public good. Since the 1990s, participation in HE has grown from an aggregate of 15,365 to the current figure of 155,402 in public and 59,969 in private universities. As a middle-income economy, the need to revamp Ghana’s industrial and technological sectors (where there is currently high demand for graduate employment) to stimulate further growth has become more imminent, so is the need to train more science and technology graduates. However, there is a predominance of narrow conceptualisations of employability, with little attention played to the public good implications of livelihoods and the need for students to develop capabilities as pro-poor professionals. This paper presents findings from the initial phase of a two-year ESRC-funded multi-country study on higher education and the public good in Africa. Using disaggregated data on enrolment patterns and disciplines in universities to examine the trends of participation, it argues firstly that inequalities are masked within massification of higher education, with participation skewed in favour of the privileged; and secondly, that provision is primarily oriented towards private returns for graduates. The implication is that too few graduates are able to contribute to the public good in Ghana. Recommendations are made to draw policy attention to HE curriculum, pedagogy and access.