GTEC to Audit Tertiary Institutions Over Abuse of Mature Student Admissions
By Maame Efua Kwaduah
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has announced plans to audit tertiary institutions over the abuse of the mature student admission programme.
The Director-General of GTEC, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, said investigations have revealed that some institutions are admitting applicants below the mandatory age of 25, in violation of established admission regulations.
He explained that the audit, which will commence next month, is aimed at enforcing the age requirement and ensuring strict adherence to guidelines governing mature student admissions across the country.
Professor Abdulai noted that the 5% quota allocated to mature students is based on national data on age distribution and progression patterns from senior high school to tertiary institutions.
“In most instances in recent times, what has been realized is that some institutions admit students who do not have the minimum qualification, that is the challenge we have. Students who do not make it to the regular stream, sometimes as young as 18 or 19 years are admitted as mature students,” he noted.
He observed that in some cases, individuals without the minimum academic qualifications or relevant work experience are admitted under the mature student category, a practice he described as a major challenge confronting the tertiary education sector.
According to GTEC’s policy, mature student applicants must be at least 25 years old, possess relevant work experience in the field of study they seek to pursue and pass an aptitude test conducted by the admitting institution under appropriate supervision, especially where mentor institutions are involved.
Professor Abdulai emphasized that while the commission supports access to tertiary education through the mature student pathway, the process must be carried out properly and within the framework of the law.
He warned that the continued abuse of the programme is undermining the integrity of tertiary education and has made it increasingly difficult to verify the academic background of some graduates.
Institutions found to have admitted unqualified applicants during the audit, he said, will face sanctions, including the revocation of such admissions and possible legal action.
