Low pay making it harder for universities to attract PhD holders – UTAG-UG

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG) has expressed concern that low salaries are making it difficult for Ghanaian universities to attract top academic talent, especially those with PhDs and industry experience. UTAG-UG President, Dr Jerry Joe Harrison, argued that improving lecturer conditions and enhancing universities' capacity to train their own staff would be a more sustainable solution than having the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) take over recruitment.

Speaking to Citi News, Dr Harrison pointed out that the current remuneration for lecturers is unattractive to professionals from lucrative fields like law and medicine, where practical experience is highly valued. He emphasized that while maintaining high academic standards in faculty recruitment is crucial, rigid requirements might hinder filling vacancies in specialized fields where PhD holders are scarce.

Dr Harrison proposed that professional experience should be recognized, particularly in areas where academics might be reluctant to leave well-paying jobs for academia. He also suggested that GTEC should support universities in setting up PhD programs to create a pipeline of trained academics. UTAG-UG has criticized GTEC's decision to manage faculty recruitment across public higher education institutions, advocating for individual universities to handle such matters.

Dr Harrison suggested that GTEC should focus on its regulatory and advisory role, rather than assuming responsibility for recruiting academic staff.