The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), says it will not renew accreditation for programs that fall short of employability requirements.
Speaking on behalf of the Education Minister at the 18th congregation of Koforidua Technical University(KTU) the Deputy Director General of GTEC, Dr. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai stated that “moving forward, institutions seeking re-accreditation of their programs must demonstrate evidence of employment of graduates of such programs informed by tracer studies before such programs will be accredited. In fact, programs that fall short of such requirement will not be accredited”
He emphasized that the interest of the commission in accreditation is whether institutions are able to demonstrate employability of their students as primary mission in seeking accreditation.
He admonished tertiary institutions to be guided by the 2020 to 2021 Auditor General’s report which flagged hundreds of non-accredited programs, and adapt to GTEC’s new wind of accreditation with alacrity.
“In simple terms, programs must be accredited or not advertised ”
Dr.Ahmed Jinapor stated that, GTEC is currently working to roll out a single platform for admission applications to all Universities in Ghana captioned as the Central Application Processing Service (CAPS) where only accredited institutions and programs will be allowed.
Speaking on the theme of graduation ceremony that’s ” Effective Technical University-Industry Collaborations: Key to Development and Possible Job Creation in Ghana “, the guest speaker, Ing. Dr.Anobaah Ankrah a consultant to Danank Engineering Company, proposed a roundtable discussion between Industry and Technical Universities in the country to diagnose the missing gab in Ghana’s industrial and education sectors fueling high unemployment in the country.
He said with the rapid changes in technology and their potential applications, it has become imperative that active partnerships are fostered to translate to realistic achievable objectives in imparting skills-based training to students to equip them with the requisite industrial skills.
“I will therefore use this opportunity to propose that Industry and Technical Universities converge at a roundtable to discuss the way forward and find pragmatic solutions to the nation’s developmental challenges ”
The Vice Chancellor of Koforidua Technical University, Prof David Kofi Essumang said, the university is conscious and responsive to the changing job demands and curriculum dynamics being played out in the sector, therefore, the university is working towards it to enhance competence of graduates for opportunities in local and international markets.
He listed a number of engineering programs introduced by the university to the specification of the job market.
The Vice-Chancellor also stated that the University has allocated Ghc 45,000 to various departments to undertake applied research activities which many have made significant breakthroughs and are impacting society.
Prof.David Kofi Essumang said in spite of the strides made, the university is faced with insufficient funds, lack of staff office space and residential facilities, inadequate library space, and insufficient ICT facilities.
He added that only two-thirds of students live in private-rented buildings within the immediate communities due to woefully inadequate hostel facilities.
A total of 1,692 HND students graduated out of which 146 obtained First Class honours. 24 graduands from Auto Engineering graduated with “competent with merit ” certificates.
Source : Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Kojo Ansah