51 Tertiary Institutions Not credited by National Accreditation Board

Fifty-one tertiary institutions which offer admissions to students to study courses do not have accreditation to do so, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) has said.

Information posted by the NAB on its website in Accra yesterday said such “institutions do not have the mandate to award or issue academic or professional certificates, neither the institutions nor their programmes are accredited by the board.”

It, therefore, advised employers and potential students to consult the NAB before enrolling in any tertiary institution in Ghana.

So far, 187 tertiary institutions have been accredited by the NAB to operate as academic institutions.

Unaccredited institutions

The unaccredited institutions, according to the NAB, include the Academy of Professional Studies in Takoradi; the Africa International College, Accra; the Bechem Polytechnic; the Ghanatta College of Art and Design, Accra; the Global School of Aviation, Tema, Kumasi; the ACS Professional College, Accra; the Hac-Holland Institute, Accra; the Havard School of International Marketing and Language Skills, Accra; the West Africa Computer Science Institute, Adabraka-Accra; the Quince Lincoln University Centre of Distance Learning Education, Accra; the Institute of Export and Shipping Management, Takoradi, Kumasi, Accra; the International School of Aviation, Tema; the International Travel Tourism Institute, Achimota, Accra; ICPS, Tesano, Accra; Jabez College, Takoradi; the Management Accountancy Technology Institute, Dansoman, Accra; the Oracle University, Kumasi.

Others are the School of Management and Professional Studies, Kumasi; the Staff College Consult, Accra; the International English Language Teaching and Learning University, Labone SDA Sch, Accra; the West Africa Computer Science Institute, Adabraka-Accra; the International Christian College of Excellence, East Legon, Accra; the International Institute of Journalism, Tamale; the King Amin Islamic Institute, Agona Swedru, and the Teachers and Douaat Training Institute, Madina, Accra; the Uthmang Islamic School, Kumasi; the Abdaullah Bin Mas’ud Centre for Memorisation of the Holy Quran, Accra; the S.M.P.S., South Suntreso, Kumasi; the Bechem Business College, Bechem, BA; Delta University College, Keta; the University of Jesus of Nazareth Nursing, the Training Centre, Mankesim; the Institute of Advanced Communication and Computer Education, North Kaneshie; the Genesis Professional Institute, Patasi, Kumasi; the Dosonee Training Health Institute, Lapaz, Accra; the GIET College, Santa Maria, Accra; the Notting Hill College, Avenor Junction, Accra.

The rest are the Greenwich University College, Tema; the Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU), Accra; the Ahmadiyya Theoretical University College, Mankesim; the Amity Institute of Higher Education, Dansoman, Accra; the All Stars Media College, Dansoman; the Imperial University College of Science and Technology, North Legon; Ghana School of Survey and Mapping, Accra; the Unicorn University College, Kumasi; the Gewah Alternative University College, McCarthy Hill, Accra; the Mumford University of Science and Technology, Accra; the Vine University, New Achimota, Accra; the Achievers' School of Journalism, Caprice, Accra; the Ambassadors' University College, Lapaz; the Ballsbridge University –Ghana Campus, Sunyani; the Nelchris Science College, Accra; the Crown University College, Tumu & Kanda campuses.

According to the NAB, two foreign institutions, the Shepherd University, West Virginia, the United States of America (USA), and the Atlantic International University Hawaii, USA, had not been accredited.

Ban on institutions

Based on quality assurance test, the board said it had also banned some accredited institutions from admitting fresh students until they had met the requisite standards.

Currently, the Jayee University College in Accra and Data Link University in Tema have been banned from admitting fresh students even though they have accreditation.

This is because they have flouted some of the requirements for remaining accredited.

The NAB, therefore, tasked affiliated universities to supervise the students who had already enrolled in the two schools until they graduated.

This, according to NAB, was to ensure the students do not lose out on quality delivery.

The University for Development Studies (UDS), a government-owned tertiary institution, has also been directed to cease fresh admissions to its Bachelor of Education in Health Science programme for 2015/16.

According to the board, the list of 51 institutions on the website is not “an exhaustive list of institutions which have not been accredited to operate and award qualifications.”

The board said it would continue to add to the list as and when it became necessary.

In a related development, the NAB has also indicated that the Chartered Institute of Certified Tax Accountants - Ghana (CICTAG) had not been accredited to run academic programmes.

In public notice published in the July 9, 2015, edition of the Daily Graphic, the NAB and the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Ghana (ICAG) stated that the CICTAG did not have “the legal mandate to award any academic or professional qualifications that may be accepted for purposes of academic/professional placements/progression”.

It, therefore, asked the CICTAG to stop advertising for students to enroll onto its programmes.

Be cautious

The Executive Secretary of the NBA, Mr Kwame Dattey, told the Daily Graphic that the NBA was mandated to issue accreditation; however, it did not have power to close down any institution operating without accreditation.

“We can only revoke the accreditation of the institutions we have accredited or stop them from operating but we cannot close down any unaccredited institution because the law doesn’t allow us to do so. Perpetrators can only be reported to the security agencies to take action against them for operating illegally,” he added.

Mr Dattey further indicated that unaccredited academic institutions had great impact on the education sector, as well as graduates for the job market, hence the need to halt such activities.

Mr Dattey, therefore, cautioned employers, students and the general public to consult and check institutions certificates and accreditation status with the NAB before employing graduates or proceeding to enrol either in Ghana or outside.

On foreign institutions that were not credible, he said the NAB did not recognise any foreign institution which was recognised by its own government.

Number crunch

FIFTY-ONE tertiary institutions which offer admissions to students to study many courses do not have accreditation to operate as such.

Fact sheet

An accredited institution is a public or private institution that has been given full authority to operate as an academic institution by the government mandated body.

A certificate is normally awarded by a tertiary institution after a candidate has pursued a course of study spanning one to two years.

Tertiary institutions include a university, university college and post-secondary diploma awarding institution, professional body awarding certificates or diplomas or professional training institution.

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