Abstract Book of the 8th International Conference on Advanced Research in Education
Year: 2025
DOI:
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Public Funding and Student Access: A Comparative Study of Public Universities in South Africa and Ghana
Kwasi-Agyeman Fredua
ABSTRACT:
This study examines how public universities in South Africa and Ghana influence student access given the fluctuations in public funding. Underpinned by resource dependence theory, a qualitative methodological approach via in-depth interviewing of key respondents, and documents analysis were used to gather data to explore the study’s questions. Globally, the high cost of higher education, rising student enrolment and economic challenges of nations have caused fluctuations in public funding for higher education. These fluctuations in public funding seem to have increased tuition fees, caused deterioration of infrastructure thereby affecting the student access to higher education. Specifically, the paper examines three questions (a) what was the nature of the changes in public funding and student access at the public universities in South Africa and Ghana from 2014 to 2024? (b) What factors influence the changes in public funding, and what are their implications for student access at the public universities in South Africa and Ghana? (c) What are the strategic responses towards influencing changes in student access by the public universities in South Africa and Ghana in the face of the fluctuations in public funding? The paper concludes that although public funding presents an opportunity for universities to influence student access, a combination of factors especially the state of the economy and capacity related challenges, constrain possibilities for meaningful strategies to influence student access for many public universities in South Africa and Ghana.
keywords: Accessibility; Financing; Fluctuation; Higher Education; Strategies