Private Universities Financially Handicapped

President of the Christian Service University College in Kumasi says private tertiary institutions still face threatening financial challenges, despite recent tax rebate announced by the government.

Professor Sam Afrane notes the cost of accreditation and affiliation processes, in particular, are disincentives to the growth of private universities.

The two processes he says, are expensive and compel managers of such institutions to pay double for the same product draining them financially.

Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced in the 2018 budget private institutions will no longer be required to pay corporate tax.

Though Prof Afrane describes government’s gesture as welcoming news, he indicates corporate tax is the least of problems confronting institutions.

“Affiliation and accreditation sometimes don’t fully complement each other. The two could have worked together if government could reform it. They are characterized by delays, they are cumbersome and they are also very expensive.

“The universities, we must submit ourselves to them in terms of they approving what we want to teach and sometimes the process can take one and a half to two years to get one program approved,” he told Luv FM’s Erastus Asare Donkor.

“Whatever programme you want to introduce you must find a university which has done it before. We have introduced Monitoring and Evaluation, we have introduced Corporate Planning, no university in West Africa is doing it but because of the rule, we must find a mentor in Ghana. It does not allow initiative and creativity,” he said.

“This MSc Monitoring and Evaluation, we pay to the mentoring institution, the university, and we pay once again to the NAB. So, if nothing at all, you are paying twice for one product. That calls for a reform.” Prof. Afrane noted.

He was speaking at the launch of four new academic programmes introduced by the Christian Service University College; Postgraduate programme in Corporate Planning, and three undergraduate programmes, Early Childhood Education, Basic Education, and Physician Assistant Studies.

Christian Service University College established in 1974 is in the process of adding a new faculty of Education to four existing faculties; Humanities, Business Administration and Health and Applied Sciences.

Story by Ghana|Myjoyonline.com | Erastus Asare Donkor | Luv News