Educational facilities provide a conducive teaching and learning environment towards achieving educational goals. Therefore, these facilities must be well-maintained to provide the necessary support for academic activities. The study assessed facilities maintenance management practices in public higher education institutions (HEIs) in northern Ghana.
A qualitative approach was employed. The study population comprised Estate Officers of public higher education institutions in northern Ghana. Face-to-face structured interviews were conducted, and the data collected was analysed thematically and presented using narrations and direct quotes.
Only two of the five institutions had a formalized working document, a maintenance policy, to guide their maintenance activities. HEIs used “inspection” to identify maintenance challenges from the technical staff’s perspective. The fact that the reactive maintenance strategy was largely used in all the HEIs also came to light.
The study provides information on maintenance management in HEIs in Ghana. It highlights the effects of maintenance policies, and leading and lagging performance indicators on maintenance management.
