The National Accreditation Board (NAB) is advising managers of the various private universities to revise their programmes and bring on board those in high demand to avoid imminent collapse.
According to the Executive Secretary for NAB, Kwame Darteh, such repositioning is what is required for the institutions to stay in business.
“They first have to assess programmes that should be in high demand because people go to school for a purpose: they want to find jobs when they finish. If you have such programmes for them, then they will enrol. I think most of them must also learn to cooperate. If you don’t have a competitive advantage in a particular programme, don’t say that institution A is running it so I’m also running it. You can cooperate,” he said.
The advice of Mr. Darteh comes on the back of recent revelation that some private universities are struggling to stay afloat. Minister of State in charge of Tertiary Education Prof. Kwesi Yankah recently announced many private Universities are on the verge of collapse due to financial challenges.
Speaking to Starr News’ Ibrahim Alhassan, on the sidelines of the second batch 9th congregation of the Pentecost University College, PUC, Darteh blamed the challenges facing some of the private universities on the shortfall in the supply of foreign students.
“Primarily most of their students came from outside Ghana. You know there were a lot of instabilities in some institutions outside Ghana and they saw the Ghanaian system as very stable and also much cheaper than sending them to Europe or the Americas. So they (neighboring countries) were bringing their wards here. Then suddenly they also started experiencing financial problems, so they stopped…..That accounted for the problems facing some of them (Private Universities); those who relied solely on foreign students”.
Rector PUC Apostle Dr. Daniel Okyere Walker rather argues a financial support from government is what is required to salvage the situation.
Dr. Walker stressed private universities are indeed in distress.
“…Definitely private Universities are in difficulties… I think that the government should also look at funding private universities. We have the GETFund. The GETFund, it’s from the taxes of all of us including students who are at private universities: their parents are working and paying taxes and contributing to this GETFund.
“So what’s their crime in their children not getting admission into public schools and finding themselves in private universities? Should they suffer? I think no. There should be a fair distribution of some level of support from the GETFund to private universities. When that happens at least the universities will be able to fund themselves in a way”.
The PUC Rector congratulated the government for abolishing the 25% corporate tax on private universities. He, however, added the benefits are yet to kick in for the institutions given the fact that the policy was just introduced.
According to Dr. Walker, the move by government will nonetheless not be enough to put private tertiary institutions on sound financial footings in the wake of the reported crisis.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Ibrahim Alhassah
