Management of higher educational institutions in Ghana amid COVID-19 pandemic: The case of University of Cape Coast

Abstract

Aptly described as the biggest challenge to have confronted humanity since World War II, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused major damage in all spheres of life. Using Mitroff’s (2005) Crises Management Model, this paper focuses on higher education institutions and investigates how the senior management of a typical African higher education institution reacted to the pandemic. Deploying the qualitative case study approach with a phenomenological transcendental design, the study sought to explore the challenges the University of Cape Coast Management faced and the measures it adopted to manage the pandemic. The participants were comprised of seven management members. It was found that the university was not prepared for a pandemic of this nature. The study also found that the pandemic posed key challenges, namely, administrative, financial, and operational. Nonetheless, the university instituted some coping mechanisms that helped mitigate the impact of the pandemic.  It is recommended that the university develop a comprehensive crisis response plan that provides standard operational guidelines regarding administrative work and teaching and also protocols for reducing the spread of infections. The paper proposes that the university create an emergency fund and build the capacity of its members to adopt appropriate technology to enhance teaching, learning, and administrative work.