The Elite, Elitism, and Ensuing Conversations in Ghana’s Higher Education: Myth or Reality?

Abstract

Contemporary higher education in Ghana and many parts of Africa has European colonial antecedents. In spite of the many goals that it aspired to achieve, a preoccupation was to nurture an elite group. Though widely used, the concept of elite and elitism is vague and hardly conceptualized. It hoovers from status—occupants of the apex or top echelons of an organization/society, to consumption—people with immense wealth. Influence, on the other hand, seems to be a common denominator in both cases. But, does this capture the scope of the phenomenon? This article engages people who have worked in different capacities in Ghana’s higher education space to examine the deeper meanings that could be embedded in elitism, elicits conceptualizations of elitism, and further finds out how elitist higher education is in Ghana. Ultimately, the article intends to initiate a conversation on whether indeed there are elites being produced from the university system. This study was done with reference to an empirical study on decolonizing higher education in Ghana.

“African magic” or “African science”: Issues of technology in African higher education

“…This calls for Africa's IHL to rekindle their sense of community to collaborate with communities to create a symbiotic relationship that would mainstream these technologies. Nurturing a meaningful sense of community is crucial for eradicating erroneous conceptions of elitism, exclusivity, Ivory Tower mind‐set (Amuzu, 2019) and undue reliance on foreign technology. As Ngara (2007) suggests, “Other alternative ways of knowing are needed to jumpstart the African intellect and imagination towards giftedness for technological development” (p. 17).…”

“A Lot of Ghanaians Really Don’t Understand the Work We Do” – Cultural Adaptations and Barriers in Ghanaian Psychotherapy Practice

“…This is a legacy of the colonial period (Tetteh, 1972) during which institutions of higher education were set up by colonial powers in part to train potential civil servants – the beginnings of the formal employment sector in former colonies. A recent investigation by Amuzu (2019) suggests that the high unemployment rate has reduced the socially transformative impact of the attainment of a tertiary degree in the current era. An additional source of difference in the Ghanaian population is migration.…”

Decolonization and Higher Education: A Critical Review of a Contemporary Concern, Policy and Theory

“…As Dawson indicates, there are close links between decolonization and related terms or topics such as internationalization (Hopkins 2017, Tight 2021, to which we might add globalization, nation building, neoliberalism (Tight 2019), elitism (Amuzu 2019), social justice and indigenous movements. All of these terms have a global purchase and reflect continuing power struggles which are far away from a resolution that is acceptable to the majority.…”