EDUCATION

Vice Chancellors to be jailed for running unaccredited courses – GTEC

 

Commissioner of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Mohammed Salifu

• GTEC has cautioned tertiary schools against running unaccredited courses

• The penalties include either paying a fine of not more than GH¢240,000

• Rector of the institution could be jailed for up to 20 years

The Commission of the Ghana Tertiary Education (GTEC) has warned vice-chancellors of universities against running unaccredited programmes.

The Commissioner of GTEC Professor Mohammed Salifu made this known in an interview with the Daily Graphic.

According to him, the Education Regulatory Body Act, 2020 (Act 1023) makes it is an offence for a tertiary institution to advertise or run a programme for which it has no accreditation.

The penalties include either paying a fine of not more than GH¢240,000 or the vice-chancellor (VC)/rector of the institution concerned going to prison for up to 20 years or both.

He explained that the new act has scrapped the affiliation policy and requires all existing private university colleges currently under affiliation to expedite action towards chartering.

Prof. Salifu, therefore, advised V-Cs “to go and come clean” by making available the programmes being run by their institutions, especially those not accredited, for possible rectification “to avoid the avoidable”.

“They must bring all the programmes they run for us to see if we can give them amnesty so that they go and sin no more”.

He added that the offences and penalties also included, “a person who fails to register an institution, as required under this act, or refuses to comply with a request for information by or on behalf of the commission or refuses to provide information, that is an offence and is liable, on summary conviction, to a fine of not less than 10,000 penalty units and not more than 20,000 penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 years and not more than 20 years or to both.”

The commissioner said the legal framework and the punishments were part of strategies to ensure that with the phasing out of the mentorship policy regarding newly established private universities, standards were not compromised.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. In addition to his media ventures, Solomon serves as a Brand Ambassador for Alabuga, a prominent Russian industrial company, representing their interests and expansion across Africa. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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