DOCTORAL THESIS A critical study of internationalisation in the public universities in Ghana Gyamera, Gifty Oforiwaa Award date: 2014 General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 02. Oct. 2021 A CRITICAL STUDY OF INTERNATIONALISATION IN THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN GHANA By Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera (B.Ed, Mphil) A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD Department of Education University of Roehampton MARCH 2014 ABSTRACT This research critically examines the perceptions, rationales, strategies and challenges of internationalisation at the public universities in Ghana. The study contributes to the available literature on Ghanaian higher education and internationalisation in the public universities. The research was a qualitative study and the conceptual framework was informed by postcolonial theory. The theory helped to address major questions in higher education including the infiltration of neoliberal ideas, inequalities and exclusions, and the perpetuation of colonial legacies in international discourse. Three public universities were purposely selected as case studies; respondents were administrators, deans, heads of departments, academics, and students from these selected universities. Personnel from the supervisory bodies of higher education in Ghana were also interviewed. Data gathering included interviews, documentary analyses and observations, and analysed using content and discourse analyses. The findings indicate that internationalisation is perceived as an important concept in the universities in the study. There are, however, dominant discourses and views of internationalisation that seem to be rooted in colonialism and the marginalisation of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. I argue that the global influences of capitalism underlie many of the strategies of the universities. Though the meanings, rationales and strategies of internationalisation are similar in all the universities, there are different nuances in the various institutions’ thinking and approach. In spite of their efforts, the universities in the study are confronted with a lot of challenges which limit their ability to offer an alternative to the dominant internationalisation discourse. I argue, however, that internationalisation is a problematic concept which should be engaged with critically; there is a need for a critical orientation to ii internationalisation that appreciates and emphasises difference, and which enriches the educational experiences of students. iii CONTENT PAGE Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………... ii Acknowledgement …………………………………………………………………………. x List of abbreviations………………………………………………………………................ xi Chapter 1 Understanding Internationalisation in Ghanaian Public Universities........... 1 The problem statement……………………………………………………………................ 1 The research questions…………………………………………………………………………………………… 2 Objectives of the study …………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 Significance of the study…………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Origin of the study .……...…………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 A global context…………………………………………………………………….............. 12 Negotiating the terrain ………………………………………………………………........... 16 The national context………………………………………………………………………… 17 Thesis outline ........................................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 2 : The Context of Higher Education in Ghana……………………….............. 25 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 25 The historical context………………………………………………………………………………………….. 25 Development of higher education in Ghana ……………………………………… 32 iv Roles of the Universities….……………………………………………………………………………………… 37 Supervisory bodies………………………………………………………………….............. 40 Challenges of the Universities……………………………………………………………… 41 Ghana: The national, political and socio-economic contexts ………………………………. 44 Educational reforms in Ghana ……………………………………………………… 49 The socio-economic context………………………………………………………... 53 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………................ 55 Chapter 3 :A Review of Key Concepts……………………………………………............ 56 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 56 The internationlisation agenda…………………………………………………………………………….. 57 Definitional issues…………………………………………………………………………... 57 Rationales of internationalisation …………………………………………………... 59 Approaches and strategies to internationalisation…………………………………... 60 The challenges, questions and tensions……………………………………………... 61 Globalisation………………………………………………………………………………………………………... 67 Neoliberalism……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 73 Characteristics of neoliberalism…………………………………………….......................... 74 Africanisation as an alternative concept …………………………………………………………… 80 v Postcolonial theory………………………………………………………………………….. 82 Challenges with the Africanisation concept………………………………………………… 84 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………............. 86 Chapter 4: The Research……………………………………………………………......... 87 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………....... 87 Methodological approach………………………………………………………………………………………... 87 Research design……………………………………………………………………………... 88 Data collection methods…………………………………………………………….............. 90 Population, sample and sampling techniques………………………………………............. 91 Recruiting participants……………………………………………………………………… 92 Data collection procedure ……………………………………………………………………………………… 100 The pilot study ……………………………………………………………………... 100 The main study ……………………………………………………………………... 102 Data analyses………………………………………………………………………………................................. 106 Challenges of the Study…………………………………………………………………….. 108 Ethical considerations………………………………………………………………. 111 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………. 122 Chapter 5 :Knowledge Contestations ................................................ ………............. 124 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 124 vi Internationalisation…………………………………………………………………………. 125 Meanings attached to internationalisation…………………………………............... 125 Rationales for internationalisation………………………………………….. 128 Africanisation and Indigenous Knowledge Systems.……………… 140 Meanings attached to Africanisation ……………………………………………….. 140 Rationales for Indigenous Knowledge Systems/Africanisation ……………………. 144 Employment and Poverty Alleviation………………………………………………………. 155 Development Discourses………………………………………………………………………………………… 156 Differences in Responses among and in the Universities…………………………………......... 158 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………. 166 Chapter 6 :Internationlisation Strategies .......................................................... …..... 168 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 168 Development of Mission Statements and Strategic Plans…………………………………... 168 Strategic Collaborations………………………………………………………………………………………….. 176 Establishment of International Centres……………………………………………………………………. 180 Benchmarking …………………………………………………………………….................................................. 181 Foreign experts……………………………………………………………...………. 182 Benchmarking the curriculum………………………………………………… 188 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………. 193 vii Chapter 7 :Curriculum-related Change…………………………………………...... 195 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 195 Curriculum Processes and Changes………………………………………………………........................... 195 Programme-related Strategies……………………………………………………………………………… 197 Quality-related Strategies……………………………………………………………………………………….. 214 Power Relations and Politics…………………………………………………………………………………… 223 Conclusions………………………………………………………………………………… 228 Chapter 8 : Challenges ............................................................................................ ...... 229 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………... 229 Challenges ………………………………………………………………………………… .229 Lack of national policy …………………………………………………………………… 229 Limited funding …………………………………………………………………………….. 231 Stigmatisation of African Universities……………………………………………………… 254 University Strengths..……………………………………………………………….............. 256 Conclusions…………………………………………………………………………………. 262 Chapter 9 :Conclusions And Recommendations .............................................. …...... 263 Re-stating the research objectives…………………………………………….. …................ 263 Summary of findings……………………………………………………………………… 264 Perceptions of internationalisation………………………………………………….. .264 viii Rationales of internationalisation …………………………………………............... 264 The strategies ………………………………………………………………………. 265 Implications of lack of a national policy on internationalisation…………………................ 266 The models of internationalisation……………………………………………...................... 267 Recommendations..................................................................................................................