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How Far Is Progress? Gender Dimensions of Student Enrollment in Higher Education in Ghana

The Case of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Bibliographic Data

ID3326283
AuthorsAmanda Nkansah Quarshie (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology), Godfred Bonnah Nkansah (0000-0002-3140-0598, Corvinus University of Budapest, corresponding author), Eric Oduro-Ofori (0000-0003-1874-5951, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology)
Year2023
Volume13
Issue4
Publication date2023-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSAGE Open (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/21582440231220456
OpenAlexW4390239388
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited52

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

Declaration · Economic growth · Economics · Focus group · Geography · Higher education · Kwame · Medical education · Political science · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Demography · Higher Education Research Studies · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality · Medicine · Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

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Unique citing works6
Citations per year3
Citation span2024 - 2026 (3)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 6
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