Concealed Market and the Commercialization of Education and its Implication for Inclusivity

Abstract

The opening up of the educational system to private corporations, churches and individuals in Ghana has exposed education to the whims and caprices of the capitalist economy. Similar to other countries in Africa, the involvement of businesses by virtue of outsourcing, development of market-oriented curricula and research schemes at institutions of higher education, has resulted in a paradox of consequences. As much as the commercialisation of research and teaching has shifted the load from the various government and increased education infrastructure it has created a situation in which many forms of inequality are encouraged, with few checks or balances. Higher education has become the privilege of the few and has excluded many citizens by gender, religion, and social class. This chapter examines the particular situation of Ghana and how the opening-up of higher education to private participation has become an enigmatic problem, difficult to diagnose and treat.