By Solomon Gumah, GNA
Tamale, Dec 1, GNA – The Private University Founders Association (PUFA) has commended the Ministry of Education for responding to concerns of private universities and initiating steps to amend the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023).
PUFA said the Minister of Education, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu, had acknowledged long-standing challenges within the current chartering framework and announced that a Cabinet Memorandum was being finalized to make the chartering process optional for private tertiary institutions.
A statement issued by PUFA and signed Dr Martin K. Gyambrah, Executive Secretary of PUFA and sighted by the Ghana News Agency, described the proposed policy shift as timely and responsive, noting that the existing chartering regime had often been restrictive and cumbersome for private universities.
It said optional chartering would grant institutions greater flexibility to innovate, expand programmes and enhance their contributions to national development.
The Association also welcomed the Minister’s recognition of the critical role private universities play in widening access to tertiary education, particularly for underserved populations.
PUFA said the reaffirmed national commitment to Access, Relevance and Quality (ARQ), with regulatory oversight by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), struck a healthy balance between institutional growth and the maintenance of high academic standards.
The statement further praised the backing of Parliament’s Select Committee on Education, led by Peter Nortsu-Kotoe, for advocating optional chartering as part of broader reforms within the tertiary education sector.
PUFA noted that the Committee’s reference to research findings, indicating that the Government saves approximately fifty thousand Ghana cedis (GH₵50,000) for every student enrolled in a private tertiary institution underscored the economic value private universities bring to the State.
According to the Association, the reforms, when implemented, would strengthen public-private collaboration, improve efficiency in higher education delivery and ease fiscal pressures on government.
PUFA reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with the Ministry of Education, Parliament and other stakeholders to deepen reforms and strengthen Ghana’s tertiary education system.
GNA.
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Kenneth Odeng Adade