Article 2024

Upgrading polytechnics to technical universities in Ghana and its future outcomes: a document review approach

Higher Education
Journal · Vol. 87 · Issue 5 · pp. 1509-1528
Abstract

This study reviews and equates the historical upgrade of Ghana’s polytechnics to technical universities compared to the United Kingdom and South Africa, including its processes as a borrowed educational policy. Furthermore, it critically reviews the policy’s incubation process, the borrowing process, the implementation process and the actual outcome of the policy in action. The study reveals the loopholes as an elusive decision to convert the ex-polytechnics and its managers’ harshly misplaced priorities of mimicking academic universities. Although the conversions proved essential to its core mandate, we argue that the focus was to be given to curriculum, teacher development and infrastructure funding. Improvements in the standing and prestige of Ghana’s technical universities are seen as a conversion consequence. However, maintaining a vocational and technical focus and guaranteeing the necessary resources and facilities for the newly transformed institutions may present difficulties. Finally, the study reveals reflective characteristics of historical happenings in the UK and South Africa compared to Ghana. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2023.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Technical Education policy borrowing Ghanaian Polytechnics of Polytechnics Stakeholder Perceptions Upgrading

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
College of Teacher Education, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
Department of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Funding & Acknowledgements
National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences, NPOPSS
Funding text 1: The authors thank the reviewers and investigative group for their invaluable support of this project. Additional thanks to the Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (ZJNU Postdoc Start-up Fund Award no. ZC304022955) for supporting this work. The analysis and findings presented were constructive and solely based on the authenticated documents reviewed. This is for future developments and study and not to score any political points for governments. The researchers take responsibility for any harsh words used to represent findings, analysis, discussions and conclusions.; Funding text 2: The Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (ZJNU Postdoc Start-up Fund Award no. ZC304022955) supported this work.
Grant: ZC304022955
Funding text 1: The authors thank the reviewers and investigative group for their invaluable support of this project. Additional thanks to the Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (ZJNU Postdoc Start-up Fund Award no. ZC304022955) for supporting this work. The analysis and findings presented were constructive and solely based on the authenticated documents reviewed. This is for future developments and study and not to score any political points for governments. The researchers take responsibility for any harsh words used to represent findings, analysis, discussions and conclusions.; Funding text 2: The Major Project of the National Social Science Foundation of China (ZJNU Postdoc Start-up Fund Award no. ZC304022955) supported this work.
References 10 References
1 Journal of Education and Practice, (2014)
2 Journal of Education and Human Development, (2016)
3 Report of the Technical Committee on Conversion of the Polytechnics in Ghana to Technical Universities, (2014)
4 International Journal of Education and Literacy Studies, (2017)
5 International Journal of African and Asian Studies, (2014)
6 African Educational Research Journal, (2021)
7 Doctoral Thesis, (2012)
8 50 Years of Educational Progress and Challenge in Ghana, (2010)
9 Journal of Education and Practice, (2011)
10 International Journal of Education and Research, (2014)
Quick Actions
Full Text via DOI
Citation Metrics
4
Times Cited (Scopus)

References 10
Document Identifiers