Ghanaian universities increasingly struggle to attract PhD holders due to low pay — UTAG-UG
In Ghana, low pay is making it difficult for universities to attract highly qualified lecturers, including PhD holders and specialists with experience in relevant industries. This was stated by Jerry Joe Harrison, president of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana, MyJoyOnline reports.
A less attractive academic career
According to Harrison, lecturers' salaries make an academic career less attractive to professionals working in specialized and highly paid fields. As an example, he cited lawyers who would have to leave legal practice, obtain a PhD and then move into teaching for the pay offered by universities.
The problem, he said, concerns not only law but also medicine and other disciplines where professional and practical experience is important for academic work. Harrison stressed that universities must maintain high standards when hiring lecturers. At the same time, strict academic qualification requirements can make it harder to fill vacancies in fields where the number of PhD holders is limited.
The UTAG-UG president believes that recruitment should also recognize the professional experience of practitioners, especially in fields where they are reluctant to leave an established and better-paid career for work at a university.
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A proposal for GTEC
Harrison's comments came amid UTAG-UG criticism of the decision by Ghana's higher education commission, GTEC, to advertise vacancies for various public higher education institutions. The association insists that the recruitment of academic staff should remain the responsibility of individual universities and their academic and management structures.
Harrison proposed that GTEC help institutions establish PhD programs in fields where there is a shortage of experts. In his view, this would be a long-term solution: universities would be able to train lecturers for specialized areas and build a talent pool.
He added that universities already identify research and teaching priorities based on national development needs. According to Harrison, GTEC should focus on its regulatory and advisory role, while universities should take into account requirements for candidates, their availability and qualifications.
