Commenting on the increase in the number of private universities in the country, Mr Ampiah said although private universities had come to fill a void, it was important for them to ensure that their products were ready to face the challenges of the day. “The surge in the numbers of private universities in itself is not bad; what we need to ensure is that in the heat of the competition, standards are not lowered”, he emphasised. He said the popularity and patronage that private universities in the country were enjoying must be preserved through stringent monitoring of standards by the regulators and affiliated institutions. Private universities, stated, also had a responsibility to consistently monitor their output and continuously improve upon their methods of teaching. “Ultimately, our products will speak for us. If we produce graduates on the job market who deliver efficiently then we will be entrenching our position and raising our ratings”, he stressed. Mr Ampiah said presently students from private institutions were giving good accounts of themselves, adding that such a trend provided justification for the new teaching methods and strategies some private universities were employing. “In private universities such as the Advanced Business College there is emphasis on hands-on approach to teaching and learning to ensure that students appreciate the practical implications of whatever they are taught”, he said. He said the growth of private university education in the country was expressed in the fact that some graduates of public universities now found it comfortable to enrol for masters programmes in private universities. “In the past very few people imagined such a trend could emerge but now we are witnessing the fruits of years of hard work on the part of private universities in the country”, he added. |
