Professor Salifu Mohammed, former Executive Director of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), has underscored the nation's concerted efforts to position itself as a regional hub for higher education. Speaking at the closing ceremony of a five-day workshop organized by GTEC in collaboration with the African Continental Qualifications Framework (ACQF-II), Prof. Mohammed highlighted key initiatives aimed at enhancing the credibility and confidence in Ghana's higher education system.
The ACQF-II, a project of the African-European Union partnership implemented by the European Training Foundation in collaboration with various stakeholders including countries, regions, and the African Union Commission, convened experts from over 15 agencies and commissions within the education sector.
At the workshop, Prof. Mohammed revealed plans to develop three comprehensive national policy documents geared towards harmonizing educational qualifications in the country. These documents include the national qualification framework for all levels and sub-sectors of education and training, recognition of prior learning primarily for the informal sector, and the credit accumulation and transfer system tailored for students.
The overarching goal of these policy documents is to facilitate international recognition of qualifications, enhance job mobility, provide access to decent jobs, establish quality assurance and standards, and ensure coherence and career progression both domestically and internationally. Additionally, the implementation of these policies would enable tertiary-level students to seamlessly transfer their credit hours between institutions within and outside the country, facilitating continued education.
Prof. Mohammed emphasized the importance of developing qualifications aligned with national priorities to leverage education for national development. He expressed confidence in the framework's ability to be both nationally relevant and globally benchmarked, ensuring its suitability for various purposes.
Highlighting the success of Ghanaian tertiary institutions in attracting foreign students, Prof. Mohammed stressed the need to maintain this momentum to remain globally relevant. He reiterated the commitment to ensuring that qualifications obtained in collaboration with institutions across the sub-region and beyond are universally accepted.
With one year allocated for the completion of the framework before implementation, Prof. Mohammed expressed optimism that the finalized framework would effectively address the development needs of the country, further solidifying Ghana's position as a hub for higher education in the region.
