Private University Education in Ghana upsiege but challenges crippling progress

Research data available to the West Africa International Press Limited (WAI) indicates that Ghana's private University landscape has upstaged despite myriads of challenges crippling the gains.

This, according to the research must urgently be addressed to enable players in the sector to maximize profit. Addressing the challenges will enable them to train more human resources for home and export.

Given that, the President/Publisher, WAI, Dee Otibu-Asare(Ph.D) had said that about 73 private universities have been recorded so far as per the data despite challenges that have bedeviled private tertiary education in Ghana.

The research further indicated that only 19 public universities could be counted across the country. Despite the dramatic growth in the numbers, private universities face serious threats of extinction due to government policy and what is termed, unhealthy competition from public universities.

This worrying situation has necessitated the West Africa International Press Limited (WAI), publishers of the West Africa International magazine which was established in 2001 to organize this year's International Conference on private universities education in West Africa.

Themed, "Is the Survival of Private University Education in West Africa Under Threat?:Ghana as a case study". The conference attracted important dignitaries in the industry and stakeholders from both the private and public universities in West Africa who deliberated on the theme and proffer solutions. Chaired by the former Vice Chancellor, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Professor Jerry Samuel Yaw Kuma. The Founder and President of Wisconsin International University College, Dr. Paul Kofi Fynn bemoaned the government's unwillingness to grant them tax waivers. He also lashed out at the public universities for lowering the intake cut-up points which turn to absorb possible students that the private universities would admit making it difficult for them to run their university's education under the circumstances. The Chairman, while acknowledging the challenges in the sector admonished players in the private universities sector charged to be proactive and attractive to their students turning them into models of advertisement.

He further charged players in the private universities sector to table their challenges to the regulator, Ghana Tertiary Educational Institution Commission (GTEC) for a concerted effort in mitigating the challenges.

While acknowledging the great work being done in terms of training human resources and providing sources of employment to the unemployed, he observed that if the challenges are addressed, they will inure to the benefit of the nation.

In the end, he entreated players to engage the regulator to find a lasting solution to the myriads of challenges they have enumerated.

Report by Prosper Kwaku Selassy Agbitor