Accreditation of private universities will be withrawn - If they operate below required standards.

Education pg (lead) April 21, 2008

Story: Charles Benoni Okine & Musah Jafaru

VICE President Alhaji Aliu Mahama has warned that the government will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to withdraw the accreditation of private universities which operate below the required standards.
“It is gratifying to note that a lot more individuals, companies and religious groups are answering the government’s call for private sector participation in tertiary education”, he stated.
He said “the government will continue to collaborate with the private sector in providing quality education to the population but will not sacrifice standards and efficiency”.
The Vice President gave the warning at the fourth congregation of the Islamic University College, Ghana (IUCG) in Accra, at the weekend and said there were reports of some private universities taking undue advantage of the government’s open policy on private sector participation in tertiary institutions to perform below standard, a situation the government finds unacceptable.
In all, 260 students graduated, 115 in Religious Studies and 145 in Business Studies. It was the first time that the congregation was held on the IUCG campus, as previous ones were held at the University of Ghana, Legon.
The University which started in 2001 with 51 students, now has 725 students, comprising 471 males and 254 females, which is the result of good academic record and expansion of infrastructure.
Alhaji Mahama said the attainment of education for all by 2015 as part of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) was a collective effort by all and indicated that it was for that reason that the government invited the private sector to participate in the provision of tertiary education in the country.
He said through the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and other interventions, the government would continue to provide basic infrastructure and facilities for both public and private tertiary institutions as and when required throughout the country without discrimination.
He mentioned the release of a 75-seater bus and computers from the GETFund to help ease the transportation challenges of the IUCG while at the same time promoting Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes at the college.
The Vice President commended the Ahlul bait Foundation of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its role in bringing the IUCG into being.
“Do not be overcome by the fear of the unknown so as to become petrified and unable to use the enormous knowledge and experience gathered during your four years of study here to your advantage”, he advised the new graduates adding that ; ”Life out there is definitely different from the protected and sheltered life within the walls of the university”.
The President of the Islamic University College of Ghana, Dr Gholam-Rheza Rahmani, urged the graduands to be patriotic and contribute to the socio-economic development of the country, saying that “Ghanaians and no one else can build Ghana”.
“Wherever they may find themselves in future, they should always remember what the country, Ghana, had done for them and think of what they can, in turn, do for her”, he stressed.
Dr Rahmani again asked the graduands to go back to their respective communities and work towards uplifting the standard of living of their people.
The Registrar of the IUCG, Alhaji R. Gbadamosi, said products of the College were serving in various parts of the country with distinction and in a manner that was making them proud.
He said the IUCG was to start a new programme in ICT and indicated that every other programme at the University had a backing in ICT education.
Alhaji Gbadamosi said by the beginning of the 2008/2009 academic year, the College would have two well equipped laboratories for the ICT education programmes, and thanked the GETfund for supporting the project.
The Iranian Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Vallioallah Mohammadi, lauded the good bilateral ties between the Republic of Ghana and the Islamic Republic of Iran, in the areas of education, agriculture and health and called for the strengthening of the relations.