The NAB noted with dismay that despite several warnings to halt the practice, some defaulting universities continue to run programmes that were either not accredited or has had their accreditation status expired.

Dr Kingsley Nyarko, the Executive Secretary of NAB, gave the warning when he led a four- member delegation to pay a courtesy call on Professor Joseph Ghartey Ampiah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Tuesday.

"There will not be differential standards for public and private institutions. We do not want to create the impression that NAB is lenient on public institutions, but go hard on private institutions.

"We want to assist the institutions to operate within the standards," he stated.

He urged the public universities to adhere to the established procedures and guidelines and support efforts to enhance quality.

Dr Nyarko asked the universities to create a synchronised database on programmes and their accreditation status to enable them track their accreditation status periodically to avoid sanctions.

He said the universities remained major stakeholders in ensuring quality education especially at the tertiary level and urged them to help the NAB address the challenges and issues of national concern towards quality education.

Dr Nyarko also stressed the need for teachers in tertiary institutions to acquire basic teaching skills and competencies to aid quality teaching because quality education required competencies and knowledge for effective teaching.

"You may have your PhDs and all knowledge but may not be able to deliver the teaching we expect. Teaching demands skills, attitudes to learn about the philosophy to enable you apply the right methods to teach students," he stressed.

He therefore called on the universities to organise training courses for lecturers to equip and upgrade their skills and competencies to effectively engage students.

For his part, Prof. Ghartey Ampiah reiterated the need for quality teaching in tertiary institutions to address the needs of the new crop of students.

The UCC has established the Centre for Teaching Support (CTS) to train, offer technological and other forms of support to lecturers to enhance their competencies in teaching.

He said teachers must be made to understand the need to achieve certain standards in order to teach at the tertiary level adding that," knowing content is one thing and knowing how to teach is another".