Professor Anthony Kudjo Donkor, Professor of Education at the University for Development Studies and Education expert, has argued that the importance of university administrators does not automatically justify equal remuneration with lecturers. He explained that the two groups perform different professional functions and therefore their salaries should be assessed against their respective responsibilities and career structures.
The education expert made the observation in an exclusive interview with The Vaultz Media Network following the recent strike by the Ghana Association of University Administrators over disparities in market premiums, allowances and conditions of service. He noted that although every category of university staff contributes to the functioning of an institution, their roles, professional pathways and productivity remain distinct.
Professor Donkor cautioned against using lecturers under the University Teachers Association of Ghana as the automatic benchmark for determining the remuneration of university administrators. Analysing the argument around salary disparities, he explained that a meaningful comparison requires clarity on the specific groups being compared and the nature of their responsibilities.
“Everybody thinks they’re important, and I agree with them, everybody is important. But if you are important, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should be the same as another person.”
Professor Anthony Donkor
The Professor further explained that university administration and academic work operate along separate career paths. While administrators manage institutional processes and operations, lecturers undertake teaching, research and community service as part of their academic responsibilities.
Therefore, the existence of differences in remuneration does not by itself establish an unfair disparity. The relevant question, according to the education expert, is whether the pay structure appropriately corresponds with the duties, levels and expectations attached to each category of staff.
Referencing the structure of university employment, Professor Donkor also pointed to differences within administrative positions themselves. He suggested that disparities could arise vertically between different levels of administration or horizontally when one professional group is compared with another.
This distinction, he explained, makes it necessary to establish precisely what GAUA means when it refers to disparities. Without identifying the positions, responsibilities and remuneration structures involved, comparisons with academic staff may produce an incomplete assessment of the issue.
Ghana Must Assess Readiness Before Introducing AI Curriculum
On the introduction of AI and coding into the basic school curriculum, Professor Donkor advised that Ghana must conduct detailed feasibility studies before implementing artificial intelligence in the basic school curriculum. He explained that the country first needs to establish the infrastructure, equipment and human capacity required to make coding and AI education effective across schools.
Professor Donkor also urged authorities to examine previous technology initiatives before launching another nationwide programme. Referencing earlier efforts to provide teachers with laptops, he questioned whether the lessons from that initiative had been adequately considered in planning the new curriculum.
The lecturer indicated that questions surrounding access should form part of the assessment. Schools would need to know whether pupils would receive individual devices or whether computer laboratories would be established to support classroom instruction.
“We have to know what goes into it. Once we are able to do that, then we will know where we actually are.”
Professor Anthony Donkor
Analysing the proposed curriculum from an implementation perspective, the education expert stressed that the availability of technology alone would not guarantee meaningful learning. Teachers must also possess the competence to use the facilities effectively and guide pupils through the subject.
This, he noted, makes teacher preparation an important component of any national AI and coding education strategy. Training would need to correspond with the actual requirements of the curriculum so that educators are equipped to deliver the subject in practical classroom settings.
Such planning also requires attention to schools outside major urban centres. Ghana’s educational needs extend beyond Accra, Kumasi and other regional capitals, with rural communities requiring equal consideration when national digital programmes are designed.
The education specialist therefore called for planning that takes differences in electricity access, digital infrastructure and learning facilities into account. In areas where conventional electricity supply remains limited, policymakers would need to examine practical alternatives such as solar-powered or rechargeable devices.
AI And Coding Education Faces Test Beyond Urban Classrooms
Directing attention to the country’s rural schools, the education expert argued that educational reforms should be designed for the entire country. Facilities available in major cities cannot serve as the sole measure of national preparedness. Some schools lack enough teachers to divide instruction among the different subject areas envisioned under the programme.
This issue also extends to the availability of teachers. AI education would require educators who understand the technology sufficiently to teach pupils, guide responsible use and connect digital tools with the wider objectives of the curriculum.
Therefore, teacher training needs to be treated as part of implementation planning. Supplying equipment without developing the human capacity to use it could leave schools with facilities that produce limited educational outcomes.
Leadership also emerged as a decisive factor in the success of education reforms. Professor Donkor explained that infrastructure can exist within a school while poor supervision and weak commitment prevent those resources from producing the intended results.
The Professor consequently placed emphasis on dedicated leadership and monitoring. School authorities and policymakers would need to track implementation, identify gaps and respond to challenges as they emerge.
Professor Donkor believes feasibility studies therefore must be central to determining whether Ghana is prepared for AI education. The exercise would help establish the country’s actual capacity and reveal the investments required before the curriculum is fully implemented.
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