Prof Akosua Ampofo is lecturer at the University of Ghana
Lecturer at the University of Ghana, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo, has said that inadequate funding is among the key challenges facing universities in Africa and across the globe.
According to her, universities need the requisite infrastructure and funding to manage the increasing student population and to deliver their mandate in society. However, this has been a hurdle for some time now.
Speaking at the Anton Wilhelm Amo Lecture at the University of Ghana on the theme: “Where are the Therapeutic Intellectuals? Popular Culture and Autobiographical Narrative for Justice and Healing,” Prof Akosua Ampofo stressed that institutions need support to meet emerging demands in education and to produce the best students.
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“We must acknowledge the limitations of our context in Africa and globally: reduced funding, large student bodies, inadequate infrastructure, reduced support from our governments, uncertain or unclear tenure and promotion systems, demoralizing work environments and a lack of control over demanding workloads.
“We must also recognise a changing generation of students, changes in languages—not just spoken languages but also expressions—changes in communication and culture, and changing expectations of our students and younger faculty,” she said.
The CEO and Director of 715 House Media also expressed concern about how university education is increasingly being limited to specific spheres rather than serving its broader purpose of improving society.
“Instead of serving as institutions dedicated to the advancement of human knowledge, the education of students for all aspects of their current and future lives, and the preservation and transmission of our cultural and intellectual heritage, universities are being pressed to adopt a narrower mission.
“They are increasingly expected to be engines of growth, focusing on research that will pay off economically and resolve practical problems identified by governments, corporate partners, or funders.
“Narrowing education to preparing students for the job market is part of an increasingly pervasive framework of neoliberalism, in which progress is seen to derive from individuals competing freely in international markets. Rankings, centers of excellence, and citation metrics are really holding us in their tight grip,” she added.
Watch Prof Akosua Ampofo’s comment below:
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