Iddrisu Mahamadu Tanko | University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana (original) (raw)
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Papers by Iddrisu Mahamadu Tanko
Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand h... more Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand higher quality from tertiary institutions. In spite of this expectation, tertiary students, parents and other stakeholders are often reluctant to pay for this quality. Many of these stakeholders concede that quality comes at a cost but contend that the levels of user-fees demanded are outrageous having regard to the levels of remuneration in Ghana. This paper examines secondary data from Ghana on policy reforms aimed at improving quality in the educational sector since independence. Then a review of reforms specifically on the tertiary sector since 1992 follows. It examines the roles of bodies having oversight responsibility for the tertiary sector as well as survival strategies that tertiary institutions have adapted to regain public confidence in them and their relevance for national development. The paper concludes that past neglect of the pre-tertiary sector in providing learning aid...
Professors, often serving as departmental and faculty chairpersons or chief executives of most un... more Professors, often serving as departmental and faculty chairpersons or chief executives of most universities, play very important roles in the policy formulation and implementation processes of universities. Professors are at the center of the major purposes for which universities exist. Although they are generally seen as stinky in their criticisms of issues at meetings, the dearth of professors on the staff-list of any university usually also sends signals that the best in academia are not on board to direct critical thinking, knowledge creation and dissemination in such institutions. This study examines the role of professors in the core businesses of universities; especially in shaping the lives of younger faculty and students under their guidance. As teachers, mentors and researchers, professors are central to the creation of any reputation to which a university is identified. Their expertise in matching curricula with national aspirations through reviewing, expanding or droppin...
as the concept of University community engagements catches up in Ghana and elsewhere globally, th... more as the concept of University community engagements catches up in Ghana and elsewhere globally, the University administrator in addition to his or her traditional role is obliged to offer support services to the community engagement team in the realization of the goals of the engagement. This paper, therefore, examines the new and redefined roles placed on the Administrator/professional in addition to his/her traditional roles using University for Development Studies (UDS) as a case study. It seeks to challenge the University Administrator to reexamine his/her engagement and role as in UDS within the broader University community engagements. Using the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP) Directorate, a Unit mandated by the UDS to oversee her community engagement programme, we look at the new roles the University Administrators comprising Assistant Registrars, Accountants, Transport Officers and Stores Superintendents among others play in assisting the TTFPP Directorate t...
As at June 2005, several qualified candidates who sought tertiary education in Ghana could not en... more As at June 2005, several qualified candidates who sought tertiary education in Ghana could not enroll due to financial constraints. Access, relevance, affordability, quality, equity and gender issues are now receiving considerable national attention. Students and managements have responded to the diminishing funds in different ways. We examine educational policy changes between 1994-2004 in the tertiary sector in Ghana particularly because of the turbulence of reforms in Ghana. Funding difficulties and reforms by universities to revamp the tertiary sector in Ghana is addressed. The paper further examines the evolution, rationale of tertiary reforms, the governance structures, mandates, and manner of funding tertiary education and the policy of cost sharing as was perceived. The institutional arrangements to deal with student loans, research funding, Scholarships and infrastructure are also discussed. The paper concludes that there is sufficient goodwill to prevent the decay of HEIs ...
The condition of school facilities has an important impact on students’ performance and teachers’... more The condition of school facilities has an important impact on students’ performance and teachers’ effectiveness. In particular, comfortable classrooms with adequate facilities are very important effective students’ educational outcome. This study therefore explored the state of school facilities in northern Nigerian secondary schools. This is a region with persistent low academic achievement rate in standardised examination over the years. The observations and interviews with 20 students indicated to a large extend that the school facilities did not adequately support the fundamental needs, engagement and high achievements levels of students in the schools. It is recommended that the government needs to invest in the educational infrastructure, especially in the north of the country, to ensure that the next generation Nigerian people have the educational resources to contribute to future of the country.
Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand h... more Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand higher quality from tertiary institutions. In spite of this expectation, tertiary students, parents and other stakeholders are often reluctant to pay for this quality. Many of these stakeholders concede that quality comes at cost but contend that the levels of user-fees demanded are outrageous having regard to the levels of remuneration in Ghana. This paper examines secondary data from Ghana on polity reforms aimed at improving upon quality in the tertiary sector since 1992. It examines the roles of bodies having oversight responsibility for the tertiary sector as well as survival strategies that tertiary institutions have adapted to regain public confidence in them and their relevance for national development. The paper concludes that past neglect of the pre-tertiary sector in providing learning aids and learning environments together with frequently imposed educational reforms produced certain deficiencies difficult for tertiary institutions to rectify with increasing under-funding in them too. The paper recommends that the solution to the perceived falling standards lies in a manifested investment in the pretertiary and tertiary institutions as national priorities to regain public confidence in the performance capabilities of tertiary graduates.
Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand h... more Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand higher quality from tertiary institutions. In spite of this expectation, tertiary students, parents and other stakeholders are often reluctant to pay for this quality. Many of these stakeholders concede that quality comes at a cost but contend that the levels of user-fees demanded are outrageous having regard to the levels of remuneration in Ghana. This paper examines secondary data from Ghana on policy reforms aimed at improving quality in the educational sector since independence. Then a review of reforms specifically on the tertiary sector since 1992 follows. It examines the roles of bodies having oversight responsibility for the tertiary sector as well as survival strategies that tertiary institutions have adapted to regain public confidence in them and their relevance for national development. The paper concludes that past neglect of the pre-tertiary sector in providing learning aid...
Professors, often serving as departmental and faculty chairpersons or chief executives of most un... more Professors, often serving as departmental and faculty chairpersons or chief executives of most universities, play very important roles in the policy formulation and implementation processes of universities. Professors are at the center of the major purposes for which universities exist. Although they are generally seen as stinky in their criticisms of issues at meetings, the dearth of professors on the staff-list of any university usually also sends signals that the best in academia are not on board to direct critical thinking, knowledge creation and dissemination in such institutions. This study examines the role of professors in the core businesses of universities; especially in shaping the lives of younger faculty and students under their guidance. As teachers, mentors and researchers, professors are central to the creation of any reputation to which a university is identified. Their expertise in matching curricula with national aspirations through reviewing, expanding or droppin...
as the concept of University community engagements catches up in Ghana and elsewhere globally, th... more as the concept of University community engagements catches up in Ghana and elsewhere globally, the University administrator in addition to his or her traditional role is obliged to offer support services to the community engagement team in the realization of the goals of the engagement. This paper, therefore, examines the new and redefined roles placed on the Administrator/professional in addition to his/her traditional roles using University for Development Studies (UDS) as a case study. It seeks to challenge the University Administrator to reexamine his/her engagement and role as in UDS within the broader University community engagements. Using the Third Trimester Field Practical Programme (TTFPP) Directorate, a Unit mandated by the UDS to oversee her community engagement programme, we look at the new roles the University Administrators comprising Assistant Registrars, Accountants, Transport Officers and Stores Superintendents among others play in assisting the TTFPP Directorate t...
As at June 2005, several qualified candidates who sought tertiary education in Ghana could not en... more As at June 2005, several qualified candidates who sought tertiary education in Ghana could not enroll due to financial constraints. Access, relevance, affordability, quality, equity and gender issues are now receiving considerable national attention. Students and managements have responded to the diminishing funds in different ways. We examine educational policy changes between 1994-2004 in the tertiary sector in Ghana particularly because of the turbulence of reforms in Ghana. Funding difficulties and reforms by universities to revamp the tertiary sector in Ghana is addressed. The paper further examines the evolution, rationale of tertiary reforms, the governance structures, mandates, and manner of funding tertiary education and the policy of cost sharing as was perceived. The institutional arrangements to deal with student loans, research funding, Scholarships and infrastructure are also discussed. The paper concludes that there is sufficient goodwill to prevent the decay of HEIs ...
The condition of school facilities has an important impact on students’ performance and teachers’... more The condition of school facilities has an important impact on students’ performance and teachers’ effectiveness. In particular, comfortable classrooms with adequate facilities are very important effective students’ educational outcome. This study therefore explored the state of school facilities in northern Nigerian secondary schools. This is a region with persistent low academic achievement rate in standardised examination over the years. The observations and interviews with 20 students indicated to a large extend that the school facilities did not adequately support the fundamental needs, engagement and high achievements levels of students in the schools. It is recommended that the government needs to invest in the educational infrastructure, especially in the north of the country, to ensure that the next generation Nigerian people have the educational resources to contribute to future of the country.
Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand h... more Growing competition for national and global employment has lately compelled Ghanaians to demand higher quality from tertiary institutions. In spite of this expectation, tertiary students, parents and other stakeholders are often reluctant to pay for this quality. Many of these stakeholders concede that quality comes at cost but contend that the levels of user-fees demanded are outrageous having regard to the levels of remuneration in Ghana. This paper examines secondary data from Ghana on polity reforms aimed at improving upon quality in the tertiary sector since 1992. It examines the roles of bodies having oversight responsibility for the tertiary sector as well as survival strategies that tertiary institutions have adapted to regain public confidence in them and their relevance for national development. The paper concludes that past neglect of the pre-tertiary sector in providing learning aids and learning environments together with frequently imposed educational reforms produced certain deficiencies difficult for tertiary institutions to rectify with increasing under-funding in them too. The paper recommends that the solution to the perceived falling standards lies in a manifested investment in the pretertiary and tertiary institutions as national priorities to regain public confidence in the performance capabilities of tertiary graduates.