Ghana's ambition to become a knowledge-driven economy will remain incomplete if our universities produce scholars in environments where intimidation overshadows mentorship and academic authority takes precedence over human dignity.
What should be a professor's greatest achievement: demonstrating intellectual superiority over students or nurturing scholars who may eventually surpass their teachers?
A PhD is more than an academic qualification. It develops independent thinkers, researchers, problem solvers and future leaders whose contributions influence national development.
My observations of many successful postgraduate programmes of universities elsewhere in the US, Canada, Germany, the UK show an emphasis on constructive supervision, mentorship, intellectual independence and timely completion.
Unfortunately, experiences reported by some postgraduate students in Ghana suggest that this empowering culture is not reflected in our universities.
Some doctoral students encounter delayed feedback, unclear expectations, endless revisions and supervisors whose authority appears unquestionable.
Students become afraid to ask questions, challenge ideas or seek clarification for fear of being labelled disrespectful.
Consequently, doctoral studies become unnecessarily prolonged, creating financial difficulties, frustration and diminished confidence.
Some students abandon their programmes altogether.
Certainly, doctoral training must remain intellectually demanding.
Supervisors must insist on originality, rigorous methodology, research ethics and academic excellence.
However, academic rigour must never be confused with academic cruelty.
A professor's responsibility is not merely to identify weaknesses but to help students overcome them.
Particularly disappointing is the tendency of some academics trained abroad to abandon the supportive supervisory practices they experienced and reproduce authoritarian relationships upon returning home.
Why should professors who benefited from constructive mentorship overseas deny Ghanaian students similar opportunities?
Equally troubling is the tendency to regard qualifications obtained abroad as inherently superior to those earned in African universities.
Academic excellence should be measured by research quality, integrity, teaching, professional conduct and contributions to knowledge; not the geographical location of one's university.
We cannot build world-class African universities by importing qualifications, while retaining attitudes that discourage intellectual freedom and mutual respect.
Professor's true legacy
A professor's success should not be measured exclusively by publications, academic titles, research grants or personal recognition.
We must also ask: How many doctoral students have you successfully mentored?
How many have become independent researchers, accomplished academics, policy advisers and mentors themselves?
Research quality and academic integrity must remain paramount.
However, professors who consistently hinder students' academic progress should not automatically be celebrated solely on the strength of their personal achievements.
The true legacy of a professor lies not in how many students struggle under their authority, but in how many scholars flourish through their mentorship.
Practical agenda for reform
Ghana's universities must move beyond identifying problems to implementing meaningful reforms.
First, establish clear supervisory standards. Universities should define supervisors' responsibilities, meeting frequency, feedback timelines, research milestones and procedures for resolving disagreements.
Second, introduce formal supervision agreements.
Students and supervisors should agree on responsibilities, research expectations and reasonable timelines at the beginning of doctoral programmes.
Third, establish independent complaints mechanisms.
Students must have confidential opportunities to report supervisory difficulties, seek mediation or request changes of supervisors without fear of victimisation.
Fourth, evaluate professors on mentorship outcomes.
Academic performance assessments should consider supervision quality, research standards, timely feedback, doctoral completion and students' professional development alongside publications.
Fifth, provide mandatory supervisory training.
Possessing a PhD does not automatically make someone an effective leader and a mentor.
Professors require competencies in leadership, communication, constructive feedback, conflict resolution and research ethics.
Sixth, strengthen supervisory committees.
Where appropriate, doctoral students should benefit from co-supervisors and independent academic advisers, reducing excessive dependence on one individual.
Finally, promote academic humility and accountability.
University leadership must discourage intellectual arrogance, encourage constructive disagreement and promote respect among scholars regardless of where they obtained their qualifications.
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), working with university authorities, should encourage common supervisory standards and institutional accountability.
These reforms are not intended to lower academic standards but to make doctoral education fairer, more transparent and more effective.
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