Consolidation of Tertiary Institutions Across the Globe: Implications for Human Resource Management Education

Abstract

Several students are conducting on the consolidation of Higher Education Institutions. Some of these studies focused on a particular consolidation case, or geographical region, focused on only an aspect of consolidation, rationale, process, challenges, benefits, or attendant implications. This study, however, seeks to pursue the consolidation of Higher Education Institutions from a comprehensive and global perspective, including rationale, processes, challenges, outcomes, and attendant implications. Case studies were undertaken across all the habited continents of the globe, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia/Ocean, South America, and North America. The results are far-reaching. For nations that pursued the policy of consolidation, there was a “skills gap” at the middle-level manpower requirements. Nations that maintained the status quo, gave prominence to technological know-how in the understanding that technological as well as intellectual manpower are of equal relevance for development. However, for human resource management, there is an acute shortage of middle-level graduates with technical skills, while having too many thinkers and intellectual graduates. The recommendations include the need to consider consolidation policy with due caution and not adopt the policy across institutions. It should be looked at from cost- effectiveness and revenue indicators, based on national development aspirations. But overall, the polytechnics and universities should be allowed to co-exist. It was also recommended that polytechnics with requisite human and material resources be upgraded to a degree-awarding status as autonomous institutions, not by merger. The article concludes that the consolidation of tertiary institutions as a solution to the “Binary Divide” is unfounded in light of its backlashing effect on nations that adopted the consolidation policy.