Director: Daniel C. Levy

Thriving Private Sector in Ghana

PROPHE Summary:

Ghana is experiencing vibrant private higher education expansion. More than thirty private institutions (mostly polytechnics and colleges) hold some 8 percent of total enrollment. Most of the expansion stems from the huge excess of demand over public supply. For its part the government favors higher education expansion yet declares itself limited in its ability to fund that expansion. Private growth also stems from public university problems, notably including budgetary ones and political ones. Fast-growing private sectors present concerns over quality. There is a range, as there is also a range in types of private providers.

For the full article, see University World News, 28 June 2009, "GHANA: Private higher education on the rise." by Kajsa Hallberg Adu.http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20090626115442537

PROPHE Observation:

This is a relatively positive account of private higher education and it may well be that Ghana deserves it, at least within the African context. Both the causes and types and concerns over private higher education appear fairly typical in their multifaceted nature. How much “deregulation” has facilitated private growth remains ambiguous as accreditation could be seen as regulation. However, ideally, there is a healthy combination of regulation against poor quality or fraud, combined with flexibility for good private growth. Imposition of tuition in public universities has surely also boosted growth in private institutions (mostly tuition-based). No mention is made in the article of the requirement that private institutions affiliate with public ones.