Accreditation in Ghanaian universities is done by Ghana Tertiary Education Commission(GTEC). It is surprising to know that many universities in Ghana offer programmes to unaccredited students. GTEC came about as a result of a merger of the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the National Accreditation Board (NAB) under the new Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023).
The 2021 Auditor General’s report found some public universities wanting. The University of Ghana had about 374 unaccredited courses, while Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and technology had 299 unaccredited programmes. One may quickly wonder how a premiere university like that could flout such a crucial requirement since most people have the idea that this anomaly is well associated with some private universities in Ghana.
What the law says and what prospective students need to do
The law is well settled on accreditation in Ghana that in Act 1023, specifically section 36 that it is illegal for a university in Ghana to run unaccredited programmes. this offence attracts a fine not less than ten thousand penalty units and a fine not more than twenty thousand penalty units or a term of imprisonment not less than 15 years and not more than 20 years or both.
This means that a prospective student who wishes to enrol in any university in Ghana must take it upon himself to conduct due diligence in the courses he desires to study at the university and know exactly what goes into accreditation in Ghana. The regulatory body, Ghana Tertiary Education Commission(GTEC), would be the right contact point to verify whether or not the particular course is duly accredited.
This is important, especially for students who wish to study overseas, because there have been numerous cases where students are rejected by universities abroad. After all, the courses they learned in their home universities were not duly accredited.
A significant threat is also posed to employees who may have their employment contract terminated upon their employer finding out that the courses they studied at the university are not duly accredited.
Who is to blame? GTEC or the universities?
This recent development has exposed significant administrative lapses in our education system and the whole government regulatory machinery on accreditation in Ghana. In an interview on JoyFM with the Pro Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University f Ghana, Professor Awandere exposed that there is a communication gap between GTEC and the universities as there are instances where courses have been duly accredited. The certificates are with GTEC, but the university is not aware.
The same scenario plays out on the other side, where letters relating to accreditation matters get mixed up in the system, thereby stalling the process.
How to check if your university programme is accredited
There are ongoing talks with the management of the Univesity of Ghana to liaise with GTEC to take retrospective accreditation to cover all unaccredited certificates issued to students.
List of Institutions by categorising and their programme(s) accreditation status.
Click on the type of Institution, and you will see the list of schools under each. Alternatively, you can visit www.gtec.edu.gh for to date list of Programmes that are duly accredited.
- Chartered Private Tertiary Institution
- College of Agriculture
- Distance Learning Institution
- Private College of Education
- Private Nurses Training College
- Private Polytechnic
- Private Tertiary Institutions Offering HND/Degree Programmes
- Public College of Education
- Public Degree Awarding and Professional Institution
- Public Nurses Training College
- Public Technical University
- Public University
- Regionally-Owned (West Africa) Tertiary Institution
- Registered Foreign Institution
- Tutorial College
This information has informed us that it is essential to check whether or not the university programme you wish to study at the university is duly accredited, irrespective of the type of university. Our public universities have surprisingly flouted this requirement; you cannot let your guard down.
Who do you think is to blame for this menace? The universities or GTEC? Let us know in the comment below.
Thanks for this advice, and the links to the various pages of the GTEC website. It does work – at least most of the time.
We’re glad we could be of help.
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