LAGOS, Nigeria, Feb. 7-The Ghanaian Government publicly committed itself today to a “ruthless” purge of the universities. Informed reports reaching Lagos said the purge was almost certain to result in the deportation of well known American professors and other Western teachers at the University of Ghana. University sources say privately that the Government’s purge will eliminate what is left of academic freedom in Ghana.

Among those known to be on the Government’s deportation list is the dean of the Ghana Law School, Prof. William Harvey, an authority on comparative African law. Professor Harvey, who is on leave from the University of Michigan Law School, came to Ghana in 1962 at the Invitation of President Nkrumah.

Faculty Not Given Reasons

The deportation orders are expected at 6 P.M. tomorrow. No reasons for the deportations have been given to the faculty members concerned or to the Vice Chancellor, Conor Cruise O’Brien. The United States Embassy’ believes that the Government’ may try to link those facing deportation with the Central Intelligence Agency. This possibility gained substance today with the appearance of a front-page editorial in the Government-owned newspaper, the Ghanaian Times, It proclaimed that the “greatest danger about the unversity” was the academic staff’s “attitude” toward the party, the Government, and Socialism.

Reforms Demanded

The Government has called for extensive “educational reforms” to bring the universities “in line with our Socialist revolution.” Ghana has three state universities: the University of Ghana at Legon, outside Accra; the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology at Kumasi, and Cape Coast University, 60 miles west of Accra. Ninety per cent of the university students are on Government scholarships. Yesterday the Government decreed that all scholarships would be annually reviewed not only on the basis of academic record, but also for “good conduct.” In recent months Ghanaian students have gone on record against several Government actions.

In December the Ghana National Students Union adopted two resolutions, one protesting President Nkrumah’s dismissal of Sir Arku Kirsah as Chief Justice, the other denouncing racial discrimination against Ghanaian students in Soviet bloc countries. Both resolutions were given to the press, but were, suppressed.