Regional News of Saturday, 7 February 2015

Source: GNA

Education Ministry resolves accreditation issues of two universities

The Ministry of Education has resolved the issues on accreditation and affiliation between the Methodist University College, Pentecost University College and the National Accreditation Board.

The issues were resolved in a meeting by Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, Minister of Education, with officials of the two universities, the Conference of Heads of Independent Private Universities, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).

The meeting, which was also attended by the two Deputy Ministers of Education; Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Mr Alex Kyeremeh, created the opportunity for the ministers to understand the positions of the parties concerning programme accreditation and institutional affiliation which have sometimes ended up in court.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Education said: “The meeting was fruitful and ended on a good note to the satisfaction of all the parties.”

The Hon. Minister highlighted the essential services that NAB and NCTE provided through their maintenance of standards in tertiary education delivery and called on them to clarify the rules and regulatory procedures on accreditation to private tertiary institutions.

She also acknowledged the contribution of private tertiary institutions towards higher education in the country and called on them to adhere to the regulations governing accreditation.

She said the Ministry was always prepared to provide the platform for concerned parties to resolve such problems.

All tertiary institutions (both public and private) that have peculiar outstanding issues regarding programme accreditation and institutional affiliation or mentorship are being urged to expedite action on the process, as a matter of urgency, to ensure timely successful completion to avoid any repercussions on students.