Developing Capacity of University Teachers: A Holistic Approach

The decision of the Ministry of Education to compel non-PhD university lecturers in the country to pursue PhD in their respective academic areas is a move to follow best practices in education. University is the highest level of learning; logically, teachers should aspire to the height of knowledge in order to be able to impart to learners accurate, sophisticated knowledge, through the best possible classroom approaches. In universities elsewhere, PhD holders are likely to receive tenure position in a faculty; non-PhD holders might be employed on contract basis. Therefore, the leeway given non-PhD holders to upgrade is as humane a gesture as it is pragmatic. If the contracts of all non-PhD holders were terminated immediately, the institutions would wobble, and national investment would be wasted.

Despite its appeal, the Ministry should not focus solely on PhD certificates; rather, it must target a learner-centred system. Hence, the Ministry should not roll out one blanket under which all institutions would pursue capacity building.  Traditional universities should pursue a certain line of intellectual development, while technical universities embark on a practical-oriented human resource development. The article now focuses on the latter.

The contemporary world operates the Knowledge Economy, so we must focus on acquired knowledge and applying such effectively for learner empowerment. Education enables communities to train young generations for intellectual, socio-cultural, economic, geo-political advancement, to mention these. The unemployment and sanitation crisis in the country, apathy towards the environment, unethical behaviour which plunges the nation into debt, nauseous religious practices, lust for money, and aversion for study/work – to mention these – among the youth are major indicators that the training system has failed.

Currently, education in Ghana, largely, embodies commercialization of information and ostentation. From kindergarten to the university, a cross-section of teachers and instructors, even institutions devise innovative ways to siphon money from learners, rather than pursue and share knowledge. Subsequently, the explosion of capacity building in recent decades has not necessarily yielded expected advancement in applied research, effective training, solid skill acquisition, and poverty reduction – especially, among the youth.

Possessing a PhD certificate does not offer any guarantee that the holder can impart knowledge effectively, in theory and practice. Many Ghanaians study abroad, in excellent academic environment. Upon completion, they bring the certificates home and leave best practices abroad. Such elements might not guide learners to accurate knowledge and career paths. The certificate is useful in the technical classroom only if it advances balanced intellectual pursuit, skill acquisition.

Currently, some PhD holders have deficit knowledge in practical instruction, which constitutes a crucial chunk of competency-based training. In fairness, they may not solely to be blamed, because the system might not have equipped them for hands-on training. Thus, even a PhD holder needs technology education to be effective in hands-on training. In fact, technical education is faltering, because many of the teachers are not equipped for the technical classroom.

To deviate from that destructive trend, therefore, the approach to capacity building should be holistic so as not replicate the skewed human resource development pattern of recent decades. For starters, all non-professional teachers should go through the diploma in education programme, which would include educational technology, which prepares teachers for practical instruction. Those in IT, engineering, applied arts and sciences should be able to utilise job sheet, tax and skill analyses for effective hands-on training. Teachers in communication, entrepreneurship and the businesses should explore authentic teaching/tasks, case studies and role plays to situate teaching/learning in simulated practical environment. Then evaluation for promotion would be based on teachers’ competency in both theory and practice. Let us pursue best practices.

One adverse effect of the skewed human resource development has been the neglect of the instructorship and technician groups. Ideally, lecturers should handle theory, instructors would handle practical instruction, and technicians handle workshops and laboratories. However, career progression of instructors and technicians has not received the necessary attention. Currently, instructors can progress up to chief instructor and receive the equivalent of a senior lecturer’s salary. Technicians’ advancement ends at chief technician, who receive the equivalent of a lecturer’s salary. Logically, they upgrade, move to industry for better remuneration or apply for a lecturer's position for vertical review. Consequently, both groups are gradually becoming endangered in the technical university system, which endangerment also implies a rapid extinction of pure hands-on training, the distinguishing feature of the Technical/Vocational system.

A spill-over effect is that those at post may not have acquired current technological skills; additionally, they may be operating in poorly-equipped laboratories and workstations. Since these support training, they may actually be imparting training based on old practices or concepts. Even new technology programmes might be still seeped in old methods and practices, which work environment would demotivate personnel. And products might not be adept technologically and might underperform in industry. NABCO is proof. Therefore, effective restructuring of the instructorship, technician career paths should constitute a crucial part of the proposed capacity building of teachers in technical universities.

In reality, a technical/vocational system skewed towards practice can survive, but when training is skewed towards theory, the prospect of solid skill acquisition becomes elusive. About two decades ago, HND graduates handled HND courses. It was possible because those graduates possessed solid practical skills, which they were able to impart to trainees. In the 21^st Century, the nation needs teaching personnel who balance competent instruction in both theory and practice.

The Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary education has lamented the absence of research institutions in the country due to low PhD holders. The proposed capacity building should culminate in the rebirth of technical universities as highly-powered research institutions. Teachers and the taught would be research-oriented, capable operators of the Knowledge Economy.

Technical education should be the ace up the sleeve of Government for changing the tide of the nation. The system should uphold sophisticated skill acquisition programmes that can help to overcome unemployment and cyclical poverty, gender inequality, dependence on aid, to name four. So while targeting PhD for capacity, develop instructors and technicians to enhance practical training. Only a concurrent upgrading of the three groups, targeted investment in technology and training would ensure a sustainable, productive higher technical education.