Accra, Sept. 2, GNA - The re-constituted National Accreditation Board was on Thursday inaugurated and charged to be firm, credible and transparent in its dealings with institutions that need accreditation to ensure quality education.

Ms Elizabeth Ohene, Minister of State for Tertiary Education, said the credibility of the nation's higher learning institutions depended very much on the work of the Accreditation Board.

Absolute integrity and transparency should therefore be their goal to ensuring quality education.

She noted that in the time of great change in the tertiary sector, with the free market in tertiary education, coupled with the widespread view of falling standards in education, it was imperative to reassure the public on the need to accept the new institutions to complement the traditional ones.

"Though some people are sceptical about everything new, it is our responsibility to prove such people wrong...."

The 20-member Board chaired by Professor John Ayim of the Faculty of Pharmacy, KNUST, has Mr Kwame Dattey of the Board as Executive Secretary.

Members of the Board who were led to swear the oaths of Office and Secrecy by Justice George Aryetey, a High Court judge, would be considering and awarding accreditation to both established and new tertiary institutions.

Ms Ohene urged the board to further ensure that institutions and courses had credibility right from the start, to ensure credible recognition of Ghanaian qualifications at both local and international levels.

"The sense of unease that is being expressed by some about some of our qualifications must be addressed, but I urge you to be rigid and conservative in your approach."

She urged the Board to monitor the already established institutions to ensure that they were not riding on past glories, since "most of these established institutions are only riding on past successes without much work on the current".

Mrs Ohene appealed to the Board to expedite action on evaluating courses being run in the Polytechnics as well as the Higher National Diploma (HND) in particular to restore confidence in the nation's polytechnics.

Prof. Ayim pledged the commitment of the Board to discharge its duties without fear or favour to ensure further development of tertiary education in the country.

He said in spite of the free market in tertiary education giving wider public choices, it was the mandate of the NAB, to ensure that the public got value for their money and quality education. He called for support and advice from stakeholders to enable the Board to work towards the attainment of perfection for tertiary education.

Other members are Mr Yaw Assah-Sam, Dr Steve Sobotie, Dr Isaac Oppong, Prof. Lawrence Owusu-Ansah, Dr Daniel Bagah, Prof. Kofi Kumado, Dr George Afeti, Dr Lord Asamoah and Dr. J.K. Borsah.

The rest are Mr Yao Klinogo, Mrs Leticia Osafo-Addo, Rev. John Adotey, Prof. Yeboah Amankwaa, Mr Francis Avonsige, Mr Felix Abbey, Mrs Jemima Hayfron Quaye, Mrs Ruth Gyang and Prof. A.A. Adimado.