NAB tightens tertiary accreditation measures

The National Accreditation Board (NAB) says hence forth any institution that wish to establish and operate tertiary level institution must apply to the Board for inspection of the proposed site for approval before operations commences.

“Such an institution should also present a financial guarantee being provided by a Bank, an Insurance Company, and a Church, among others, to ensure completion of enrolled students in case of institution’s financial difficulties,” Mr Kwame Dattey, Executive Secretary of NAB stated in Accra.

Mr Dattey who announced these at a stakeholders meeting in Accra explained that the two directives are new policies being rolled out by the Board to help sanitized the system.

He said authorization would be granted for a maximum period of three years after the site inspection which may be renewed for another three years.

He said many at times “the Board is faulted for accrediting wayside universities. Some also operate in markets and other places not serene enough for academic work”.

The Board, the Executive Secretary of NAB said, therefore decided to come out with such measures to help correct the status quo.

Mr Dattey said measures were also being put in place to ensure that all tertiary institutions offering certificates, diploma and degree programmes, all operated under the laws without shortchanging students and the public in general.

He said all institutions were to ensure that they employed qualified teaching staff to teach students who were enrolled by the institutions.

He announced that the ban placed on Data Link University not to admit fresh students until they worked to seek proper accreditation from the Board, have been lifted because the institution has been able to correct some anomalies, while that of Jayee still holds because “we are still studying some document Jayee presented to us”.

Mr Dattey appealed to employers, schools and the public to seek advice from NAB when confronted with any certificate, or enrollment in tertiary institution issues.

NAB was operationalised by a legislative Instrument, (LI) 1984 (2010) that mandates it to monitor, develop guidelines and assess as well as award accreditation for tertiary institutions, offering diploma and degree education.

NAB oversee 187 tertiary institutions made up of nine public universities, public degree-awarding institutions, six professional institutions, one regionally owned university, three chartered private tertiary institutions and 60 private tertiary institution offering Degree/HND programmes.

There are also 11 tutorial colleges, 10 polytechnics, 39 public colleges of education, seven private colleges of education, three colleges of agriculture, 19 public nurses’ training colleges and five private nurses’ training colleges as well as 14 registered foreign tertiary institutions.

NAB as established in 1993 by a PNDC Law 317, was replaced by an Act of Parliament Act 2007, Act 744, and is responsible for the accreditation of both public and private institutions as regards the contents and standards of their programmes.

The Board also advises the President on the grant of a Charter to a private tertiary institution.

Authorities of NAB therefore organized the workshop to educate relevant stakeholders and the public about issues of accreditation in tertiary institutions.