The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) says it is turning to technology to help address the growing shortage of lecture halls and other infrastructure in Ghana’s tertiary institutions as student enrolment continues to rise.
Speaking at the opening of the 3rd GTEC Annual Summer School at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, Director-General, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai said the widening gap between rising student numbers and limited infrastructure has become one of the biggest challenges confronting higher education.
The programme, held under the theme “Quality Assurance in Higher Education: Leveraging Technology to Safeguard Education Quality Amid Rising Student Enrolment,” brought together key stakeholders to explore how digital innovation can help maintain academic standards despite mounting pressure on existing facilities.
“This year’s summer school is to look at how we can bring the different stakeholders within the tertiary education space to address a very important and critical challenge, which is increasing student numbers vis-à-vis the unavailability of adequate infrastructure,” Prof. Abdulai said.
He explained that while government continues to invest in infrastructure, the pace of enrolment growth has outstripped available resources, making technology-driven teaching and learning increasingly essential.
“The infrastructure deficit is very clear not because government is not providing infrastructure but because the demand relative to our resources does not match,” he noted.
Prof. Abdulai said GTEC’s vision is to harness technology to improve teaching, learning and quality assurance while ensuring students and parents receive value for money.
As part of efforts to promote excellence in tertiary education, GTEC also unveiled the GTEC Meritorious Awards, an initiative designed to honour individuals making exceptional contributions to teaching, leadership and quality assurance across the sector.
The maiden award was presented to the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Prof Rita Akosua Dickson, in recognition of her contribution to advancing higher education.
According to Prof. Abdulai, the awards are intended to celebrate role models whose commitment and achievements can inspire others across Ghana’s tertiary education landscape.
“We want to recognize people who are contributing very well to the tertiary education space people who need to be emulated and people others can look up to,” he said.
By Kwaku Acheampong
