The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has warned tertiary education institutions and media houses to desist from advertising unaccredited institutions and programmes.

In a media interaction organised by GTEC on Tuesday May 30, 2023, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Deputy Director-General, GTEC, said the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) mandates GTEC to take legal action on any tertiary education institution or media house that advertises or publishes unaccredited programmes. According to Professor Abdulai, section 19 (5) of the Act states that: “A tertiary education institution that has not been granted accreditation and issued with a certificate by the commission shall not advertise, or cause to be published in any form or medium, information to attract potential students to enroll or register with the institution’’.

He also elaborated on section 19 (6) of the Act which provides that: “A media outfit shall not publish or cause to be published an advertisement of a tertiary education institution with the aim of recruiting or enticing potential students to enroll in the institution or the courses of the institution without: (a) inspecting the accreditation certificate of the institution and accreditation certificates of the programmes; and (b) confirming same with the Commission to be genuine”.

Professor Abdulai further emphasised that tertiary education institutions and media houses who go contrary to the Act commit an offence and are liable on summary conviction to a fine of not less than ten thousand penalty units and not more than twenty thousand penalty units or to a term of imprisonment of not less than fifteen years and not more than twenty years or to both.

He cautioned that media houses that advertise unaccredited institutions or programmes without verifying the status by checking with GTEC or inspecting the certificates are as liable as the institutions causing the advertisement to be done. He also advised parents, potential students and the general public to always check the accreditation status of tertiary institutions and their programmes from the GTEC website (www.gtec.edu.gh) before applying to them.