Abstract:
Purpose – The incentive to strengthen university governance is espoused by a number of implications but
among these three are very conspicuous: improve quality of university education system, and thus provide
students and the general public value for money; enhance the utilization of resources invested in university
education; and nevertheless contribute significantly in human capital formation, guaranteeing effective and
efficient public leadership and services to society. However, there are dearth studies on how this can be
realized in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly Ghana. The purpose of this paper is to explore pertinent issues
for desirable university governance and how it can be achieved in the sub-region drawing from the
Ghanaian perspective.
Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative study seeking to explore the questions: what is
needed to ensure desirable university governance? And how can it be achieved? Data were collected from
primary sources and bolstered with secondary sources. In-depth interviews (structured and semi-structured
guides) and documentary evidence were used to collect data from 19 participants in selected public and
private universities in Ghana.
Findings – The study examines key governance issues such as funding, accountability, infrastructure, trust,
and regulation. The paper further identifies and discusses dilemmas (weakness in legislative instruments,
quality assurance, increased enrollment and self-regulation) institutions of higher learning have had to contend
with in the discharge of their duty.
Social implications – In an effort to make a difference between poverty and wealth, knowledge becomes
an indispensable means and university education is at the center of such knowledge. The call for public
universities to be managed like businesses continuous to be as contentious as an issue, as the term
governance and the discussion might not end any moment soon. For the proponents of this idea, public
universities are no longer getting the needed resource support from the state and by implication the state does
no longer view university education as a social good and, therefore, they must find their own way of operating
by introducing reasonable fees to generate revenue. However, the school of thought that is against this idea
thinks that university education must continue to be treated as a social good because it is geared toward the
development of the country and is expensive and if not subsidized, who can afford. The poor and
disadvantaged will be marginalized and so the state must directly or indirectly continue to fund university
education in return for accountability.
Originality/value – This explorative study is a contribution to the discourse of university governance.
It primarily focuses on issues that could serve as a catalyst in enhancing university education. This has
important implications for equipping universities in Ghana and within the African sub-region with similar
International Journal of
Educational Management
Vol. 32 No. 4, 2018
pp. 606-624
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0951-354X
DOI 10.1108/IJEM-02-2016-0039
Received 24 February 2016
Revised 5 July 2017
21 August 2017
Accepted 21 August 2017
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0951-354X.htm
606
IJEM
32,4
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challenges for a better output to meet the development needs of its ailing economies and reposition it as a
major firebrand to instill competition on the global arena of lifelong learning.
Keywords Ghana, Education policy, Sub-Sahara Africa, Management, University governance