Accra, Jan. 31, GNA - The authorities of Meridian Pre-University, the country's first Pre-University Institution, on Monday said it was legally and duly accredited by the Ghana Education Service Technical Examinations Unit in 2007 to operate as a non-tertiary institution in Ghana.

Mr Tetteh Nettey, President of Meridian Pre-University, reacting to a newspaper publication on legalities of pre-universities in Ghana, said the publication had caused fear and panic among parents and other stakeholders. A publication in the Thursday, January 27, 2011 edition of the Ghanaian Times said the National Accreditation Board had described the proliferation of pre-universities in the country as 93illegal".

Quoting the Director of Public Affairs of the Board, Richard Adjei, it said: "those institutions had not been accredited by the Board to operate and, therefore, their certificates issued to students were 91worthless and invalid."

Mr Nettey said although the publication was not specific on the status of Meridian Pre-University, his name was mentioned and had to clarify the factually inaccurate publication".

Pre-university institutions are considered as a bridge between Senior High Schools and the Universities to prepare students for university education especially those who desired. Mr Nettey said although pre-university education was quite new to Ghana, it pertained to other countries, such as India and United States of America. "The concept was introduced in Ghana in 2007 by authorities of Meridian Pre-University", he added.

"As law abiding citizens, the Board of Governors of Meridian Pre-University from the onset wrote to the Ghana Education Service (GES) for recognition and authorization. On June 14, 2007 officials from the Inspectorate Division of GES Headquarters inspected our premises at Gloryland Hotel Conference Room for approval."

"Based on their inspection report, GES advised authorities of Meridian Pre-University to acquire new premises and re-locate, therefore following the advice; we relocated to our current premises and invited the team for a follow-up inspection. On September 25, 2007, another team of inspectors toured the premises to inspect our facilities", he explained.

Mr Nettey said following the September inspection, the GES Inspectorate Division on October 16, 2007 in a letter headed: 'Recognition and Approval of Programme -(D.B.S. Accounting) Meridian Pre-University Institute", signed by the inspection team confirmed that the institute had satisfied all the requirements for approval to run the Diploma in Business Studies programmes.

He said they received another letter from the GES Greater Accra Regional Education Office on October 8, 2008 also under the heading:

"Recognition and Registration of a School", approved the authorization of Meridian Pre-University with the registration number: GES/GAR/PT/BC.04/2008= .. Mr Nettey said the letter was copied to Directors of the Inspectorate and Secondary Education Division, GES Headquarters, Accra as well as the Accra metropolitan Director of Education. On the publication, he said: "The National Accreditation Board (NAB) and GES describing as illegal" the explosion of pre-universities in the country, our problem is the hasty, speedy and unfair generalization of the so-called illegality after they have acknowledged and authorized Meridian Pre-University to operate as a non-tertiary institution." Mr Nettey therefore, called on officials in the education sector to be circumspect in their pronouncements especially for publications that had the tendency to embarrass investors, staff, students, parents and thereby create bad image for law abiding institutions like Meridian Pre-University and the country. He called on NAB and GES "To urgently confirm status of the Meridian Pre-University as legal and duly registered institution through communications between them and have a collaborative or joint unit or department to know which institutions have been legally accredited to forestall any future embarrassments."