Widening Participation in Higher Education in Ghana and Tanzania

Project impact and outputs

Project Impact: Policy, Conceptual and Instrumental 

Ghana   

  • Students’ Union established funding for disadvantaged students.
  • UCC Student Council organised student representation in cases of sexual harassment.
  • Students’ Union initiated a zero-tolerance campaign. 
  • Counselling Centre took up the campaign in its Seven-Year Strategic Document.
  • Admissions Office developed data maintenance system at private university.
  • Research findings on sexual harassment generated a public debate in the media e.g. Daily Graphic – Sexual Harassment in Tertiary Institutions 11th February 2010. 

Tanzania

  • Tanzanian Commission for Universities (TCU) revised admissions system.
  • University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) developed: 
    Quality Assurance Unit 
    Policy for disabled students
  • Equity Scorecards transformed universities’ and NGOs’ conceptions of participation rates e.g. CAMFED’s initiative for scholarships for poor women was informed by findings on low SES students.
  • Media attention  e.g. Mlimani TV (9th November 2010)

International   

  • World Bank
    Findings reported in:
    Review of Equity of Access and Success in Tertiary Education: A Global Study (2009-2011) 
    Literature Review on Equity and Access to Tertiary Education in the Africa Region (2009)
  • Policy Briefings
    - Oketch M, McCowan T, Schendel R (2014) The Impact of Tertiary Education on Development: A Rigorous Literature Review. Department for International Development. 
    - Ng, C., Newman, C. and Pacque-Margolis, S. (2012): Transforming the Health Worker Pipeline: Interventions to eliminate gender discrimination in preservice education. John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. 19th Commonwealth Conference of Education Ministers 
    - Morley, L. (2015) Quality and Equality in African Private Higher Education: Contradictions and Challenges. In Commonwealth Education Partnerships. Cambridge: Nexus Strategic Partnerships.
  • Media Coverage
    - Times Higher Education (2011) East and West, African sector a middle-class fortress, 17 Nov. 
    - Times Higher Education (2010) Sex for Grades in Africa's Academy, 21 Jan. 
    - The Guardian (2010) Women students stick to traditional subjects, 13 July.
  • Capacity Development
    - Two Doctoral Scholars; Research Training for Ghana and Tanzania; Co-authorship/Co-presentations 
    - Keynote Conference and Seminar Presentations (Policymakers, NGOs, Practitioners, Scholars) 
    Australia, Austria, Belgium Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Japan, 
    New Zealand (Universities New Zealand), Norway, Portugal,  Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, UK, USA.