Ghana’s government has released GH¢3.75 million (US$1.5m) for a ‘tertiary institutions research and innovation facility’ to be based in the capital, Accra.
This is the first tranche of GH¢15m set aside for the facility, meant to fund research. The original allocation was made in the November 2014 budget, which called research a ‘key priority’ for Ghana’s development.
The government has asked its education ministry to develop operational guidelines for the facility. It is also engaging stakeholders to explore additional funding mechanisms to ensure that the facility has long-term financing.
The facility will replace the book and research allowance normally paid to lecturers in the country. These allowances were meant to enable lecturers to write books for students’ use and to conduct meaningful research for development.
But members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) are vehemently opposed to the facility, which they say will change their conditions of service, and are threatening strike action.
Scrapping the research and book allowance is tantamount to changing lecturers’ conditions of service, says Samuel Ofori-Bekoe, president of UTAG. The facility, he says, will not be able to support all lecturers and researchers that apply to it for funding.
“Government is meant to dialogue with [lecturers] instead of making the decision on its own,” Ofori-Bekoe says.
The Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana also opposes the introduction of the facility and the scrapping of the allowance.
“We will continue to demand and take what is due to us regardless of the new fund,” says Edmund Oppong-Peprah, president of POTAG.
But the government believes the facility will do more to promote research in tertiary institutions than the book and research allowance. Paul Krampah, public relations officer for the education ministry, thinks the new facility—or ‘fund’ as he calls it—will benefit lecturers.
“There was the need to enhance the research fund to enable as many lecturers as possible to be able to access it and undertake meaningful research work. I believe strongly it is in their interest,” he says.
Daniel Mireku Gyimah heads the committee of academics and policymakers that will develop modalities for the new facility. He is the former vice-chancellor of the country’s University of Mines and Technology.