Transitional Administrative Changes in the Upgrade of Colleges of Education to Tertiary Status: The Case Study of Ashanti Region, Ghana

Abstract

This study explored the transitional administrative changes in the upgrade of Colleges of Education to tertiary status, the case of Ashanti region, Ghana. Lewin’s Change Management Model and Kotter’s Change Management Theory were reviewed as the theoretical basis for the study. The study adopted a phenomenological methodology. Four Colleges were purposively selected from eight Colleges of Education in the Ashanti Region. Likewise, twelve participants were also purposively selected and interviewed from the selected colleges. An interview guide was used to collect the data for the study. Data trustworthiness was established through credibility, transferability, dependability, and conformability. Data collected was analysed through phenomenological thematic analysis. The study found that administrators had experienced several changes in terms of leadership relating to decision making as all decisions were formerly made by individual principals but now the Governing Council and NCTE have a part to play in major administrative decision making. Changes also included the presence of distributed leadership, extensive participative management practices, and the individual colleges had introduced new procedures for financial administration. It was recommended to the various representatives in the council to be very supportive during decision-making for the betterment of the colleges. It is further recommended that the individual colleges should engage in more profit-oriented ventures such as farms, printing press, water producing and many others to generate more income internally to support the colleges.