The Impact of Higher Educational Qualification on Job Performance in Public Sector Institutions: A Case Study of the Ghana Audit Service

Organisations are relying more on continuous skill acquisition and higher educational qualifications (HEQs). This study evaluates the impact of acquiring HEQs as a form of self-development on the job performance of employees in the public sector. Using the branches of the Ghana Audit Service (GAS) in the Greater Accra Region as a case study, the research collected data from 327 staff of six major operational departments using a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative survey design. Through descriptive statistics, most employees believed that the acquisition of higher educational qualifications enhanced their role clarity and technical auditing skills, as well as their ability to achieve their targets and communicate functionally. Chi-square test analysis showed that there was no statistically significant linear association between the level of formal higher education and standardised metrics of job performance. The study concluded that while acquiring higher education qualifications has a positive influence on an individual's self-reported level of efficiency, this is not the case for public sector job performance. Job performance remains influenced by different contextual factors such as frameworks and structures of career development, as well as the nature of employment support provided by the organisation.