The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is taking proactive steps to develop a draft policy aimed at regulating distance education in tertiary institutions across the country. This policy, once finalized, will provide robust regulations to enhance quality, standards, and encourage innovation and technology in promoting distance education.
In a stakeholders meeting held last Friday in Accra, key figures from various sectors of the education ecosystem participated in deliberations on the draft policy. Among the attendees were vice-chancellors of universities, distance education experts, and other stakeholders.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, the Director General of GTEC, acknowledged the significant role distance education plays in increasing access to tertiary education. However, he highlighted the challenges it faces, which could impact the quality of education.
“While distance education offers unprecedented flexibility and accessibility, it also poses unique risks related to quality assurance, accreditation, and learner support. Through collaborative dialogue and informed deliberation, we can identify effective strategies to address these challenges and ensure that our regulatory framework promotes excellence and equity in education, “he said.
Responding to concerns raised about the accreditation of distance education programs, especially those from abroad, Prof. Jinapor clarified that accreditation is campus-specific. He emphasized that GTEC is dedicated to evolving tertiary education policies to ensure quality teaching and learning environments for national development.
“Accreditation is campus location specific. The policy document shaped as the curriculum is what is accredited, but we also need to accredit the campuses to ensure that such campuses have the infrastructure to run the programmes,” he said.
John Dadzie-Mensah, the Director of Accreditation at GTEC, emphasized the importance of the policy in maintaining quality and standards in distance education programs, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stakeholders present at the meeting commended GTEC for its initiative in engaging with them and involving their input in the policy development process. Prof. Olivia Kwapong, Dean of the School of Continuing and Distance Education at the University of Ghana, expressed optimism that the policy would enhance existing systems for distance education.
“We are very happy that the regulator is showing interest in giving us a policy framework that will inform distance education to have uniform standards. Distance education is what we need now because education is a tool for development. Gone are those days when people could go on study leave,” she said.
Prof. Goski Alabi, President of Laweh University College, stressed the importance of leveraging technology to promote education, and highlighted the significance of stakeholder input in refining the policy framework.
