Central University receives Presidential Charter
The Central University in the Greater Accra Region has received its Presidential Charter after 17 years of mentorship under the University of Cape Coast. This makes it an autonomous institution capable of awarding its own degrees, diplomas and certificates.
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It was a moment of joy when the Minister of Education, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, handed over the signed Presidential Charter to the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Professor Kwesi Yankah.
Granting of a Presidential Charter
Before the Charter was handed over to the university, the Executive Secretary of the National Accreditation Board (NAB), Mr Kwame Dattey, read out the Tertiary Institution Establishing and Accreditation Regulations LI 1984, Section 17.
“The grant of a Charter to an institution signifies full autonomy for the institution, end of affiliation of the institution and the right to award degrees, diplomas and certificates, including honorary degrees, diplomas and certificates.
“A Charter may be suspended or revoked by the President on the recommendation of the Board,” he told the Vice-Chancellor, who was accompanied by top management staff of the university.
Commendations
In a statement before the presentation, Professor Opoku-Agyemang, who was flanked by her deputy in charge of Education, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, and the Director in charge of Tertiary Education at the ministry, Mrs Wilhelmina Asamoah, congratulated the university on attaining the feat.
She reminded the management of the university that receiving a Presidential Charter came with a higher responsibility. She stated, “Now you are on your own. You will be issuing your own certificates to your graduates. Be mindful of quality in order to endear the trust and confidence of the public.”
NAB as a gatekeeper
Professor Opoku-Agyemang said the NAB was a very relevant gatekeeper to ensure that the right thing was done. She described affiliation as a “necessary burden.”
She also lauded the role of the private sector in education and added that their role was important in complementing what government was doing.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang, while wishing the Central University all the best in the years ahead, urged the university to continue to maintain and even improve upon its own standards in order to gain the public confidence in the certificates it would be awarding.
Response and gratitude
Professor Yankah expressed his heartfelt gratitude to President John Mahama for signing a Charter for the university and to the Ministry of Education for “putting smiles on our faces today.”
He also acknowledged the mentoring role of the University of Cape Coast, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Ghana and commended them for exercising vigilance and oversight responsibility, which, he said, had brought the university this far.
Professor Yankah said even though it took the university over the 10-year mandatory mentoring period to achieve the feat, what was important was that the university was now autonomous, signifying that its mentors had recognised that it was fully matured to be on its own.
He assured President Mahama that the university would not disappoint him, but would work to justify the Charter granted it and pledged to continue to learn from NAB.