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The former Vice-Chancellor of the University for Professional Studies (UPS), Professor Joshua Alabi, has called on government to review the affiliation of private universities to public universities vis-à-vis their accreditation.

He described affiliation of private universities to public ones as a colonial system which needs to be reviewed to make tertiary education accessible for all Ghanaians.

The Professor was speaking on the topic, ‘Ensuring Inclusive and Equitable Quality Tertiary Education in Ghana: The Key Issues’ at the 3rd Bakari Policy Institute (BPI) Anniversary lectures.

It was under the theme, ‘Inquest of life opportunities for all – the key issues’.

He said private tertiary education has been expensive because authorities make students pay for these affiliation fees thereby making a few ones able to attain tertiary education.

He called on the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to take a second look at this because once the private universities are accredited, there is no need for an affiliation.

The one-time Member Parliament added that access to tertiary education is a right and, therefore, basic and secondary school must not be the end for anybody.

“Many find their destinies at the tertiary level but out of the 1,000 of secondary school graduates, 12 percent are able to attain tertiary education,” he said.

He again mentioned that entry requirements for tertiary education are difficult in Africa compared to Europe and therefore called for a review to these requirements.

He noted that tertiary education was strategic for national development but it is not linked to the roots of Ghanaians saying “it is linked to what we aspire for you to become not what you want to be.”

Prof. Alabi also called on government to realign the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Ghana Institute of Languages (GIL), Institute of Local Governance Studies (ILGS) and the National Film and Television Institute (NAFTI) to a big campus with satellite campuses around.