The Rector of the College, Irene Ansa-Asare, who made a direct appeal to the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor, urged him to use his office to promote the agenda of levelling the playing field for both public and private institutions in the areas of funding for faculty development and research.

 She also stated that although the rigorous quality assurance checks and expert assessment of their facilities and finances for the award of charter were in the best interest of the country, the financial burden placed on young private institutions could be crippling.

 “For it will be a tragedy, an avoidable one at that, if private institutions are able to surmount the hurdle of attaining charter status only to later face the challenge of struggling to sustain themselves in these areas.”

“We hope that our plea will not fall on deaf ears. We trust that GTEC, under the leadership of Professor Jinapor, will be a faithful ally in supporting MountCrest and its fellow private tertiary institutions in their journey towards charter, navigating change for sustainable development,” she said.

Ms Ansa-Asare was speaking during the 6th congregation and 16th matriculation ceremony of the College in Accra.

 It was on the theme “Navigating change for sustainable development: Towards charter and beyond”.

Nonetheless, she said the institution was working to meet the GTEC directive, for all affiliate institutions to attain Charter status by the end of 2024.

She said the college had passed the screening process and could progress to the third stage of the application for the award of charter.

The graduates

Ms Ansa-Asare thanked the college’s  mentoring institution, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), for the support and guidance given throughout the charter application process.

She announced that the college would be launching the MountCrest Business School next year with accredited programmes such as Bachelor of Science (BSc.) Business Administration (Accounting) and BSc. Business Administration (Banking and Finance).

“Applications for the two programmes are now open and we are committed to following in the success of our public health and flagship LLB programmes,” Ms Ansa-Asare said.

To the graduates she urged them to hold the government accountable and become the nation's lawmakers and policymakers to create a conducive environment.

Support

The Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Ben K. B. Banful, who conferred the degrees on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, Professor Rita Akosua Dickson, expressed the institution's continuous support to offer guidance and assist the college to attain charter status.

To the graduating class, he urged them to be open to new ideas, diverse perspectives and innovative approaches.

“Seek opportunities for professional growth, whether through further education, mentorship or engaging with the legal community,” he said.