How Autodidacts invented Great things...

... without Book and Research Allowance

Some of the most unusual people we know are usually those who have done some unusual things. They leave footprints of excellence in the sands of time, not as university professors or celebrated lawyers. Some are just normal autodidacts who may have sidestepped and sometimes overstepped the social order to become trailblazers and thoroughbreds. Take for instance the story of the world’s richest man, Mr. Bill Gates. A recent publication described him as an autodidact, a self-taught learner who literally learnt on his own. Former Apple King, Steve Jobs, invented great things that gave people jobs. My favourite journalist, CNN’s Anderson Cooper, was so keen on journalism he invented his own press pass to cover a story when he had no employer.

How does a cleaner become a celebrated talk show host? That is Larry King’s story. He worked as a cleaner in a radio station where he eventually started work as a broadcaster. The host of a radio programme didn’t show up for work, and Larry decided to have ‘a go’ behind the consoles. That is the unusual story behind the trademark suspenders and the household voice that literally lived in our living rooms for more than 25 years. Well, over here, we celebrate the entrepreneurial brain behind Koko King and Apostle Kwadwo Sarfo’s custom inventions. There are a few Ghanaians who have excelled in their fields. Well, Mr. Komla Afeke Dumor may be one.

Maybe if these great people were given book and research allowances, they would have done greater things. Presently, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) is threatening to lay down their tools and sit at home becauseof the government’s refusal to pay their book and research allowance on time. Their president, Dr. Ofori Bekoe, declared on Joy FM that “if it takes 10 years, we will stay in the house.” UTAG has refused to work with the National Research Fund idea proposed by the Honourable Minister of Education, Professor NaanaJane Opoku Agyemang. A committee headed by the distinguished Professor Mireku Gyimah had invited UTAG to be part of discussions on the National Research Fund. UTAG had insisted that the Fund cannot replace the book and research allowance, since the Fund is open to everybody, not only lecturers.

UTAG argues that the traditional book and research allowance, as inadequate as it is, is necessary to aid research and provide for other logistical requirements necessary for good research. If an Archaeology professor decides to conduct a study into some of the old castles or museums in Ghana, he would need to buy petrol and expend some man hours driving to the castles. There may be other expenses the academic may incur in the course of the research. A language professor researching into the linguistic implications of code-switching may need to spend time in the community he is studying. There are other expenses the researcher would incur in terms of effort and money.

The purpose of the book and research allowance, in the words of Dr. Ofori Bekoe, is to enhance research and generate knowledge. University teachers are promoted based on the amount of research and journal papers they have developed over a period. Academic scholarship and progress in a university career demandbig effort and lots of hard work. On many university campuses, students have a vague idea of lecturers who have ever published anything. It shows in their teaching and confident delivery in class. They may also find a book or two on the shelves of libraries that were authored by their teachers. It is very fulfilling to read a bestseller written by your lecturer.

The proudest moment of any international student is when you discover a book or a good research material written by a citizen of your home country. That was exactly the feeling Ato Kwamena Dadzie communicated to me when he chanced on the thesis of Nana Ohene Ntow at the library of the Department of Journalism at Carleton University, Ottawa. I had read the same material a few months before Ato’s discovery. While in Canada, I also reviewed some of the works of Professor Felix Odartey Wellington, the head of the Communications Department of Cape Bretton University in Nova Scotia, Canada. The Ghanaian academic had done some important work on Canadian Broadcasting policy, which had been well received by the intellectual community in Canada. It had become a good reference material for media research.

Members of UTAG have also been doing lots of research over the years. But where are they? True, we have fine academics here, and we all know the worth of Professor Sai and Professor Kwabena Nketsiah and Professor Benneh. These are respected beyond Ghana and Africa. There are also some brilliant young professors who have amazing potential to do great things if they had support from government and industry. If the book and research allowance would help our teachers work harder and contribute to knowledge and global scholarship, we need to increase it for them and in turn, demand some stiff accountability from the learned gentlemen and women.

How practical is the administration of a National Research Fund? Joy FM Super morning Show host, Mr. Kojo Yankson, had asked the Deputy Minister in charge of Tertiary Education, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to explain how the Prof Mireku Gyimah Committee intends to review proposals from all the 4,500 members of UTAG, to determine who qualifies for a grant from the Fund. A typical research proposal would not be less than 20 pages. There would be huge administrative costs if a secretariat is set up to work on 90,000 pages of proposals, granted that every UTAG member limits their proposal to 20 pages. Besides, what happens to the career progression and promotion of a lecturer whose proposal does not win a grant for 5 years? And what happens when no lecturer from a particular university gets a grant in 3 years? Let’s look at the National Research Fund again or never again.

Kwes iTawiah-Benjamin

bigfrrontiers@gmail.com