(Re)Conceptualizing the Role and Actions of Higher Education Through Excellence Discourse: Perspectives of University Management and Academics

Abstract

Higher education institutions are recognised as a key agent because they play a significant role in society through their contributions to generating new knowledge and training. In Universities’ quests to contribute to SDG 4 (specifically target 4.7), a flagship University in Ghana has employed excellence discourse in its strategic mission. This chapter explores how management and academic staff interpret excellence discourse in the context of SDG 4 and what actions are being taken to realise it. Semi-structured interviews were conducted among five university management staff and five academics, and Foucauldian critical discourse analysis was used as an analytic frame to understand how excellence discourse was constructed and strategic actions were implemented.

The findings reveal actors’ understandings of excellence discourse relating to the SDG focused on global and international benchmarks of ending poverty in all its forms everywhere, generating quality research in solving problems, creating an inclusive, equitable and affordable access to higher education and preparing/training quality manpower relevant for both national and global citizenship. In addition, the study reveals that standardised models for restructuring of academic programs/curriculum and establishment of technology transfer centres are some of the actions that are being taken to promote SDG 4. Furthermore, the findings show a broad intersection of SDG 4 and SDGs 8, 10 and 11. The study recommends that university stakeholders in developing countries critically consider operationalizing SDGs within their local context. The study contributes to a critical and ongoing engagement among higher education actors concerning how universities serve as a fulcrum to achieve SDGs in enhancing social justice and transformation.