Report of the Visitation Panel to the University of Ghana

Abstract

The Report of the Visitation Panel begins with background on the University of Ghana, giving a brief overview of its history and summarising the political and economic upheavals that have led to the deterioration of its teaching and research functions (Chapter 1). Chapter 2 sets the University of Ghana in its African and national contexts, underlining the challenges facing both the government and the University and noting the special importance of quality assurance. Chapter 3 is the core of the report. Its three sections review the key areas in the Panel's Terms of Reference: Governance, Management and Administration. The University of Ghana as an Academic Institution. Infrastructure and Resources. Each section Report on the Panel's analysis of the issues, describes its conclusions and presents recommendations for action. The Panel has tried to give clear and specific recommendations without being over prescriptive. Where possible it has responded to Council's request for examples from practice in other countries that place its recommendations in a broader international context. The issues encountered by the Panel were complex and numerous. Since not all of them could be tackled with the same level of depth it has focused particularly on what it considered to be the most significant challenges facing the University. Some recommendations are for immediate action while others will take longer to address. The Recommendations reflect the understanding of the University that the Panel gained through two week-long site visits in April and August 2007, individual visits by some panel members, and review of relevant documentation and literature.