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The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last Thursday granted presidential charters to 14 private University Colleges across the country.
The 14 institutions that received the charter include ; the Academic City University College, Haatso-Accra; KAAF University College, FettehKakraba; Entrance University College of Health Sciences, Spintex-Accra; Garden City University College, Kenyase-Kumasi; Family Health University College, Teshie-Accra; Ensign Global College, Kpong; andThrivus Institute for Biomedical Science and Technology, Lashibi-Accra.
The rest are Heritage Christian University College, Amasaman-Accra; University College of Gold Coast (formerly known as Accra Business School), Spintex-Accra; Knutsford University College, East Legon-Accra; Nobel International Business School, South Legon-Accra; Accra Metropolitan University College (formerly known as Laweh University College), Nungua-Accra; African University College of Communications and Business (formerly known as African University College of Communications), Adabraka-Accra; and National Defence College (formerly known as Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre and Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College), Teshie-Accra.
With the granting of the Presidential Charter the listed universities colleges are now autonomous universities that can award degrees, diplomas and certificates independently.
At a colourful ceremony to present each of the institutions with their charter certificate held at the Jubilee House in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said the day marked an affirmation of the vision and perseverance that these institutions had demonstrated over the years.
He said his administration had earlier granted a number of such institutions presidential charters and this demonstrated his government’s commitment to continuously creating an enabling environment to see more university colleges becoming autonomous.
President Akufo-Addo said the successes attained by these institutions over the period reflected the profound impact they have had and continue to have on the country’s future.
The Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum on his part, said the granting of the presidential charters offered new opportunities and challenges for the respective institutions.
He said the world of post-charter was an uncharted territory but would only be smooth for the colleges if they showed focus and fierce determination.
To attain a charter, a University College must follow a rigorous process and must meet stringent criteria established by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
These criteria include excellence in governance, quality assurance, academic delivery, research, and community engagement.
The tertiary education system in Ghana is composed of public and private institutions.
Public universities are established by acts of parliament with presidential assent to award their own degrees and diplomas.
On the other hand, private university colleges go through periods of academic mentorship and supervision by mentoring public institutions for the award of degrees and diplomas.
Until recently, private university colleges, after 10 years of having demonstrated sufficient capacity in governance, finances, academic matters, and infrastructural development, could then apply to the National Accreditation Board for a presidential charter to enable them to award their own degrees and diplomas.
However, following the creation of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 Act 1023, it is no longer mandatory for new tertiary education institutions to go into affiliation arrangements with existing chartered institutions to be accredited.
This means that new institutions will have to demonstrate their capacity to operate effectively from the word go.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
