Private universities appeal for extended charter window
By: Rebecca Okine
The Vice President of Ghana Christian University College, Dr Richard Owusu Nyarko, has appealed to the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to extend the charter accreditation period for private universities from five years to ten years.
According to Dr Nyarko, such an extension would give struggling institutions additional time to meet the strict requirements for charter status.
He explained that many private universities face financial and operational challenges that make it difficult to meet their obligations within the current timeframe.
“Many institutions have had to seek external investors or take on crippling debt just to keep their doors open,” Dr Nyarko said.
He empasised that high-interest loans, delays in funding for infrastructure and the heavy costs of rolling out new academic programmes in line with GTEC specifications continue to weigh heavily on private universities.
Dr Nyarko stressed that the critical role of private universities in Ghana’s educational landscape must not be underestimated.
He argued that these institutions provide access to higher education for thousands of students, contributing significantly to the country’s reputation as an educational hub in West Africa.
Dr Nyarko cautioned that without flexibility from the state, many private institutions risk collapse, a development that would jeopardise the academic futures of thousands of students and the livelihoods of faculty members.
He therefore urged government and GTEC to temper “mercy with justice” and provide private universities with another opportunity to fulfil their charter obligations.
Extending the registration window, he said, would allow universities to stabilise financially, invest in quality infrastructure and align more effectively with national education standards. The appeal comes at a time when several private universities are struggling to meet charter requirements within the stipulated deadlines, raising concerns about sustainability in Ghana’s tertiary education sector.
