Poor Facility Management in the Public Schools of Ghana; Recent Empirical Discoveries

Abstract:

Facilities in the public institutions of Ghana are poorly managed and sidelined in the financial planning and capital budgeting of most public institutions in Ghana. There exist dilapidated buildings and facilities in nearly all the public institutions of Ghana and the reasons behind such negligent attitude have not received empirical examination. This paper sought to fill that knowledge gap by empirically mapping out the causes and effects of poor facility management in two public schools in Ghana. The study employed the case study research design within a qualitative research methodological paradigm and gathered data using interview guides from facility management/ maintenance teams from two public second cycle schools in the Upper East Region of Ghana. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis and taken through peer debriefing and re-screening of final codes by facility management staff to ensure reliability. The findings from the study run contrary to popular beliefs. It was identified that the empirical causes of poor facility management include lack of professional managers, attitude of deferred maintenance, budgetary limit on maintenance expenditure, sidelined in the financial planning and capital budgeting of institutions, and non-privy of facility management staff to the building design and construction stage. It was also established that poor facility management is characterized by a plethora of consequences including recipe for disaster, financial erosion of institution, malfunctioning and abandonment of buildings. The study recommended that there should be the establishment professional district facility management teams whose works should be supported by institutional facility management teams to oversee facility management in the public institutions.