Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera
4 Publications in AERD
Author Publications
Export PDFExamining the gendered timescapes of higher education: reflections through letter writing as feminist praxis
By Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera
This article examines the significance of neoliberalism in re/shaping the gendered timescapes of higher education in Ghana through its intersection with patriarchal forces. It draws from a project aiming to create non-hierarchical, co-mentoring spaces in which participants collaboratively generate feminist analyses. Letter-writing was identified as a form of feminist praxis and an auto/biographical method to access the multidimensional inequalities women navigated in their careers. Opening counter-hegemonic time–space and providing feminist conceptual resources, the women explored their aspirations, experiences, and subjectivities. In Ghana, women are attempting to balance the accelerated temporalities of neoliberal higher education, as productive subjects, with the explicit demands of patriarchy, which construct them primarily in reproductive terms as wives and mothers. Our collective reflections illustrate that intersecting forces are at play that impact women’s higher education careers in unpredictable and contradictory ways. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
A critical examination of factors influencing international students' choice to study in Ghanaian higher educational institutions
By Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera
Recently, many Ghanaian universities have made considerable efforts to reposition themselves in the global space to attract international students. Although there have been some gains, the universities continue to attract a relatively lower number of students. We argue the need to critically examine the factors which motivate international students' choice of study destinations to enhance the relevant approach and experience for them. Utilising a postcolonial approach and drawing on data from two Ghanaian institutions, this paper critically examines international students' motivation to study in Ghana. The findings indicate that colonial legacies continue to characterise international students' motivations. There is a need for institutions to create their niche and also provide relevant socio-cultural space to enhance students' experiences. Global universities should cast off their negative perceptions of African universities and should provide greater and broader opportunities for their students to engage with these universities in their study-abroad programmes.
Utilising university community engagement as a critical tool for global citizenship
By Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera
Global citizenship education (GCE) has emerged as a powerful force in global and national discourses, with scholars and dominant international organisations stressing it to be the overarching educational framework. Although numerous approaches have been adopted to promote it, most of the strategies focus on transnational activities. There is less focus on national engagements. Utilising a qualitative study and a decolonial framework, this paper draws upon data in the Ghanaian context to discuss the potentiality of utilising the Third Trimester Field Programme of the University for Development Studies to develop the global citizen. The paper concludes that the programme provides heightened opportunities for GCE. To enhance this process, efforts should be made to avoid perceiving the programme as a ‘civilising’ mission or of perpetuating colonial legacies. Whilst participants develop critical values, they should also be encouraged to think critically about issues of social justice in and beyond the communities they visit. © 2021 British Association for International and Comparative Education.
The Internationalisation Agenda: a critical look at the conceptualisation and rationalisation of internationalisation in public universities in Ghana
By Gifty Oforiwaa Gyamera
Using postcolonial theory, this paper discusses the conceptualisation and rationalisation of internationalisation in some universities in Ghana. The paper is based on a study conducted to critically examine internationalisation in three public Ghanaian universities. It is argued that although internationalisation is a major concept at the universities, there are different nuances in how it is perceived and conceptualised there. There are also differences in its rationalisation. These different nuances are presented as internationalisation models at the universities. This paper argues for the need of a critical debate of internationalisation, one that is not perceived in the dominant neoliberal way but that emphasises diversity, and that is defined to suit the specific context of Ghana. © 2018, © 2018 British Association for International and Comparative Education.
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