How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Despite the World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century that education is the ultimate support of human rights, and that access and participation remain key catalysts to accelerating equal educational opportunities for all, females continue to trail their male counterparts in educatio...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2023-12-01
|
| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231220456 |
| _version_ | 1827398078015995904 |
|---|---|
| author | Amanda Nkansah Quarshie Godfred Bonnah Nkansah Eric Oduro-Ofori |
| author_facet | Amanda Nkansah Quarshie Godfred Bonnah Nkansah Eric Oduro-Ofori |
| author_sort | Amanda Nkansah Quarshie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite the World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century that education is the ultimate support of human rights, and that access and participation remain key catalysts to accelerating equal educational opportunities for all, females continue to trail their male counterparts in educational outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa. This study focuses on the Ghanaian context and assesses the gender dimensions of student enrollment in higher education, highlighting the disparities therein. We adopt a typical case study design, and a mixed method approach, involving quantitative analysis of student enrollment data, qualitative interviews, and focus group discussions with administrators and students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. We find generally low female participation across all colleges of the university, except for the College of Health Sciences. We also find low female participation across three dimensions: qualified applicants, admissions, and enrollment. The causes of disparity in the dimensions of student enrollment are rooted in four main factors: institutional, socio-cultural, economic, and awareness of STEM policy and opportunities. The present findings have implications for the implementation of STEM and other gender policies at both the pre-tertiary and tertiary levels of education across sub-Saharan Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:23:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-404564ea2df04139a963e22b1b62d102 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T19:23:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-404564ea2df04139a963e22b1b62d1022023-12-26T11:05:16ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402023-12-011310.1177/21582440231220456How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyAmanda Nkansah Quarshie0Godfred Bonnah Nkansah1Eric Oduro-Ofori2Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaCorvinus University of Budapest, HungaryKwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, GhanaDespite the World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century that education is the ultimate support of human rights, and that access and participation remain key catalysts to accelerating equal educational opportunities for all, females continue to trail their male counterparts in educational outcomes across sub-Saharan Africa. This study focuses on the Ghanaian context and assesses the gender dimensions of student enrollment in higher education, highlighting the disparities therein. We adopt a typical case study design, and a mixed method approach, involving quantitative analysis of student enrollment data, qualitative interviews, and focus group discussions with administrators and students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. We find generally low female participation across all colleges of the university, except for the College of Health Sciences. We also find low female participation across three dimensions: qualified applicants, admissions, and enrollment. The causes of disparity in the dimensions of student enrollment are rooted in four main factors: institutional, socio-cultural, economic, and awareness of STEM policy and opportunities. The present findings have implications for the implementation of STEM and other gender policies at both the pre-tertiary and tertiary levels of education across sub-Saharan Africa.https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231220456 |
| spellingShingle | Amanda Nkansah Quarshie Godfred Bonnah Nkansah Eric Oduro-Ofori How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology SAGE Open |
| title | How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| title_full | How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| title_fullStr | How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| title_full_unstemmed | How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| title_short | How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana: The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology |
| title_sort | how far is progress gender dimensions of student enrollment in higher education in ghana the case of kwame nkrumah university of science and technology |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231220456 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amandankansahquarshie howfarisprogressgenderdimensionsofstudentenrollmentinhighereducationinghanathecaseofkwamenkrumahuniversityofscienceandtechnology AT godfredbonnahnkansah howfarisprogressgenderdimensionsofstudentenrollmentinhighereducationinghanathecaseofkwamenkrumahuniversityofscienceandtechnology AT ericoduroofori howfarisprogressgenderdimensionsofstudentenrollmentinhighereducationinghanathecaseofkwamenkrumahuniversityofscienceandtechnology |