The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has confirmed the existence of 120 privately-funded universities in the country.

It said out of the number, 13 had chartered and that more were expected to charter by the end of this year.

In an address read on his behalf at the opening of the Seventh Policy Dialogue by the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS), the Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor, said his outfit recognised the vital role of a robust private university sector.

The dialogue is on the theme: “Development and Growth of Private Universities: Implications for Access, Equity and Sustainability”.

The policy dialogue is made possible by a grant awarded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York to support higher education projects of the GAAS.

Offerings

Prof. Jinapor said private institutions had not only diversified educational offerings in the country but had also provided alternative pathways for countless students.

Such significant growth, he said, had brought forth a set of challenges that “we must confront with diligence and collaboration. Issues such as high tuition fees, quality assurance, inadequate infrastructure, and ageing faculty are pressing concerns”.

He said that threatened to undermine the very principles of access and equity that everyone strived for and “it is imperative then that we engage in open and objective discussions, as we are about to do, to critically examine these challenges and explore collaborative solutions that prioritise the interests of all stakeholders, especially our clients, our students.

“Our commitment to ensuring that every Ghanaian has access to quality high education remains steadfast. We envision a system where equity is not merely a goal, but a tangible reality, where every student, regardless of their socio-economic background, can pursue their academic aspirations without undue financial burden,” he said. 

Excess number

In a presentation, the Vice-President, Institutional Advancement, Academic City University, Dr Lucy Agyepong, said even though private universities were supposed to absorb the excess number of students from public universities, every year, public universities increased the quota for their admissions.

“This means that private universities then need to compete with public universities for the same crop of students. There are higher operational costs in the private sector due to the investment in state-of-the-art laboratories, all paid for small classes and not to talk about the regulatory costs,” she said.

Among other things, she recommended the expansion of access to public funds such as the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), or similar grants for private institutions with accountability metrics.

“We need to develop a stronger financial aid system, and student loan options so that students can access private institutions,” she said.

Support

The President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, Prof. Kofi Opoku Nti, appreciated the support the institution had received from the Bank of Ghana for a higher education project.

He said the event was the last of the GAAS seven policy dialogues organised under the project, “Motivating Higher Education in Ghana, Reforms in Ghana Towards Equity and Sustainability”.