Abstract
There have been major expansion in the Higher education sector in recent times mostly through reforms. These changes and expansion reflect the important role the sector is playing in promoting economic growth of individuals and the states in general. An integral part of these reforms is the granting of more autonomy to institutions of higher education to plan their activities, mobilize resources to implement programmes, and monitor activities. This study focuses on the degree of autonomy in Colleges of Education in Ghana before and after their upgrade to tertiary institutions. The study which involved eight Colleges of Education, sixty-four respondents (all officials-Principals, academic board members, accountant and registrars) employed quantitative research as a method with a blend of closed and open ended questions to solicit for information regarding the degree of autonomy in the colleges after their upgrade to tertiary comparing it with their past status as post secondary institution. The study used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) to analyze the data which was interpreted and discussed based on the sequence of the research questions. Though there have some improvement to some extent in the management of the institutions in general, the degree of autonomy in the colleges after the upgrade has not changed much. The state still controls almost all activities in the colleges especially relating to academics. For instance, it was revealed that, the colleges on their own cannot change any aspect of the curriculum. Examination, supervision and certification of the colleges and its products are still handled by the University of Cape Coast through the Institute of Education suggesting that, the old ways (state control) of doing things still persist even after their elevation to tertiary. Suggestions on how to insulate them from such controls and make them more autonomous are made. Since this study couldn't cover every aspect of the colleges, research areas are also suggested.