Appointment of GES boss, matters arising: Case study for educational leadership practice

The brouhaha caused by the President’s appointment of Dr Eric Kojo Nkansah as the new Director-General (DG) of the Ghana Education Service (GES) certainly causes anyone with an interest in educational leadership to think deeply about what the real issues are.

What are the minimum requirements for an appointment to such a high Office? Can we refer to precedence based on conventions and normal practice?

Does the educational background of a nominee for leadership matter more than the skills and competencies they may bring to the role? I choose to discuss these matters through the lens of educational leadership principles and the extent to which lack of clarity and over-reliance on conventional rules regarding criteria for leadership selection can cause serious problems as those currently being experienced by the Ghana Education Service.

Educational leadership selection

Educational leadership selection is key and accounts for the success and sometimes failure of any educational institution and indeed the human capital development of the country.

Therefore, such educational leadership appointments attract a lot of attention and emotions. It appears that DG for the GES is expected to fall nothing short of an experienced educationist with technical competence and exemplary subject-specific knowledge to serve as a guide and in most cases a mentor, who has all the solutions to the nation’s pre-tertiary education problems, or at least knows how to get solutions.

This has been the order for several years and any leader who does not conform to this mental imagery created is likely to face resistance, as with the case of the recent appointment of Dr Nkansah.

Precedence matters

Conventionally, the position of the DG-GES has over time been handed down from one educationist to another. Barring the fact that even laws are sometimes couched from conventions and the legal system accords respect to conventions, it can be assumed that the high office of DG-GES is expected to be occupied by an educationist with the requisite academic background in education.

Unsurprisingly, the DGs for the GES for the past 10 years have been educationists, with academic certifications in the field of education.

Interestingly, the main bone of contention for the disgruntled teacher unions that are striking to drive home their demand that the newly appointed DG should be removed is that Dr Nkansah “…has [not] read education, not diploma in education, not post graduate diploma in education, not bachelor of education, not master of education, not PhD in education”.

To a large extent, major stakeholders want a leader they think they can trust, perhaps ‘one of their own’ who is familiar with the challenges of the teachers and other personnel working within the schools, the curriculum demands and understands the Ghanaian education sector deeply.

Who can blame the teacher unions for these demands? No doubt, the field of education is so complex that someone unfamiliar with the ‘tricks of the trade’ is likely to struggle.

Leadership selection criteria

What are the formal, written rules and criteria for selection of someone to the high office of Director-General and have these criteria been violated?

What is the procedure for appointment and have these been breached? Do appointees need to have training or certification in education as a minimum requirement?

When is it permitted to appoint non-specialist leaders and when is this unacceptable? Fortunately, the GES has one of the most robust ranking systems that ensures that their very best and experienced members make it to the top ranks.

Perhaps it is time to take another look at these criteria and propose revisions that are acceptable to both appointing agencies and interest groups.

Stakeholders have a say

In leadership selection, all major stakeholders need to be consulted, both formally and informally and concerns must be addressed before a final decision is made by appointing agencies.

When key stakeholders such as the teacher unions are alienated from the process, they often react negatively and disrupt the smooth running of the institution as observed in this case.

The teacher unions’ reaction to the appointment of Dr Nkansah vividly typifies what happens when the relevant stakeholders are not adequately consulted in matters of leadership appointments.

Unfortunately, they have moved on to register their displeasure by striking, thereby further aggravating the already incensed situation.

Way forward

To avoid such turbulent reactions to future appointments, the case provides vital lessons for appointing agencies. Firstly, a revision and formalisation of the selection criteria will help improve outcomes.

The procedure for appointment of educational leaders should clearly state academic qualifications required, years of experience and other minimum requirements.

Secondly, the procedure for appointments into such technical roles such as DG should give room for the consideration of internal GES officials, and not solely a political appointment.

Thirdly, there should be adequate consultations with all key stakeholders and interest groups to resolve all concerns related to new appointments before announcements are made.

Fourthly, more effort should be put into leadership development and succession planning to ensure continuity of effort and support for projects initiated within the education sector.

As I ponder over this case, it appears that the emphasis on Dr Nkansah’s non-educationist background is over-exaggerated.

What the nation needs now is strong leadership that can impact the education sector and halt the ongoing educational declines as soon as practicable.

The Ministry of Education’s performance is largely dependent on the educational outcomes that the GES produces. And this cascades to the quality of students entering tertiary and vocational institutions and eventually contributors to the Ghanaian economy.

In this case, technical belongingness of an appointee is important, however, the nation’s preoccupation should be on appointing leadership for success.

The writer is a PhD student in Educational Policy/Leadership at Albany State University of New York, USA. E-mail: yaaessah@gmail.com