The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has rejected portions of the Auditor-General’s report that stated that 299 academic programmes in the institution had been unaccredited.
According to the Deputy Registrar of University Relations at KNUST, Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe, the university had submitted documents for approval, adding that, programme reaccreditation and having new accreditation for a programme are completely different.
“There is a sought of misunderstanding of the procedure with which some of these things—accreditation and programme reaccreditation—are done. Before a new programme is started, you will require that the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) give you approval and a certificate to commence the running of those programmes. They have expiry dates, so as and when they are expiring, you have to put in an application for reaccreditation.”
“What we are doing now is seeking reaccreditation, and as we speak we have over 468 documents on the tables of the GTEC.”
His comments come after the Auditor-General’s report for 2021 revealed that only 61 out of 360 academic programmes at KNUST were accredited.
The report noted, “accreditation expired or requires re-accreditation during the period under review. Out of the 360 programmes run by the University, only 61 have been accredited, 190 sent to National Accreditation Board (NAB) for accreditation and reaccreditation with 109 yet to be sent to NAB for accreditation.”
But speaking on GTV’s breakfast show, Dr Norris Bekoe maintained that all KNUST programmes have accreditation.
“All those programmes they mentioned have been running for over seven decades since the inception of the university and we have added new ones. The challenge here is GTEC is the only body mandated and they are supervising all public and private universities. So when you have your documents there and they are in a queue, it is not to suggest that those programmes don’t have accreditation. We have submitted documents for reaccrediation of those programmes that some of which they have mentioned. When it is gone to NAB or GTEC, the work of the university is done. The challenge is that GTEC appears to be having too much,” he stated on Thursday, September 1, 2022.
“When your driver’s licence is expiring, you put in an application for renewal. It doesn’t mean you cannot drive. We have accreditation for all programmes,” Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe.
All KNUST programmes are accredited – Dr Norris Bekoe #GTVBreakfast pic.twitter.com/4SXIki8fbQ
— Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (@thegbcghana) September 1, 2022
“They are the regulators. They are supposed to go through the documents and give reaccreditation. If they have not done so, you cannot hold us responsible for it. We have complied.”
It is high time they decentralise the GTEC where we can have every region have its own office so that those universities that are in that region can submit their documents there to speed up the process. The situation where all of us are submitting our documents to the Accra office is not helping the process. We are in touch with GTEC, but if the personnel are not there, you can’t blame the universities.”
He added that parents should remain calm.
“There is no cause for alarm. Parents of those who have graduated on these courses should remain calm. The process will be completed. This is not something new, it happens every time. Many institutions have programmes that they are seeking reaccreditation.”
Watch full interview here: