Private Tertiary Educational Institutions unhappy with GTEC over unfair treatment

A group of Private Tertiary Educational Institution (PTEI) are accusing their regulatory body(GTEC) over what it described as biases towards their operations which is collapsing their businesses.

The unfair treatment and biases, according to them is impacting the running of their respective Tertiary Educational Institutions negatively thereby risking their collapse.

He lamented that out the possible 100% University enrollment in the country, PTEI only get access to a beggarly 11%, a matter they said does not auger well for the continuous survival.

To sustain their businesses, the Private Tertiary Educational Institutions believe that the earlier the regulatory body, GTEC,reconsiders it stands on several issues including affiliation, enrollment of students beyond their earlier threshold, the better.

The President, Wisconsin University International College(WUIC), Dr. Paul Kofi Fynn bemoaned government's renege on offering their outfit some form of grants and tax exemptions to enable them maximize profit and stay in business.

According to Dr. Fynn, Private Tertiary Educational Institutions which continue to be a major source of employment to a number of employees who otherwise would have remained unemployed therefore calling on government to consider their plights and provide them some tax exemptions.

Referencing the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and its resultant lockdown in 2020 which revealed the vulnerability of their respective Universities making the running of the same very tough.

He stated that regardless of the fact that schools were closed for almost a year, private schools paid salaries of their staff members,a situation he observed, government could have mitigated. They however appealed to the government to grant them some tax exemptions on importation of building equipment and other areas in order to ease the burden.

The Wisconsin International University College President revealed that when his outfit started putting up a six units story building, the Ghana Revenue Authority stopped them demanding payment of taxes,a situation he noted is hindering the smooth running of Private schools in Ghana. He thinks they should rather be encouraged with tax exemptions.

But the Chairman of the programme and the Former Vice Chancellor, University of Mines and Technology, Professor Jerry Samuel Yaw Kuma thinks differently. He does not believe that private schools are collapsing under the current status but acknowledged that the concerns raised were just concerns. He urged the schools to table their concerns and have a conversation with GTEC to look for ways to mitigate same.

Vice Chancellor, Bowen University, Nigeria, Joshua O. Ogunwole, Ph.D urged private Universities to put measures in place to be attractive to their students. He said that will be a panacea for the students to advertise the school to their fellows. Deserving individuals and institutions were acknowledged. But the Deputy Director, Tertiary Educational Institutions Commission, Mr. Ahmed Jinapor thinks otherwise.

According to him, every measure taken by the commission is tailored toward making the sector better. He said much as the sector players seek to maximize profit, they must equally take steps to train the best products and churn into the job market. He further urged them to be innovative to produce the best products for the job market.

Report by Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor