Parliament has passed the Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making the acquisition of a Presidential Charter optional for private universities and removing the mandatory six-year timeline previously required for chartering.

The Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, defended the amendment during the second reading of the bill in the Parliament of Ghana, explaining that the previous requirement created practical challenges for many private institutions.

According to him, the earlier law, the Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023), made it compulsory for private universities to obtain a Presidential Charter within six years, a provision that many institutions struggled to meet.

“Historically, under the National Accreditation Board, a charter has never been compulsory. It has always been optional,” the minister told the House.

He noted that the requirement placed significant financial pressure on private institutions due to the high fees payable to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

The government believes the policy could have forced several institutions to shut down, potentially affecting thousands of students enrolled in private tertiary institutions across the country.

“Government recognises the contribution of private tertiary institutions, numbering over 79, which have made significant contributions to the provision of higher education and quality education across the country,” Mr Iddrisu said.

He warned that forcing all these institutions to obtain a charter could lead to the collapse of some universities that may not yet have the capacity to operate independently.

The amendment, he explained, will now allow private universities to apply for a charter only when they believe they have satisfied the requirements to operate independently and award their own degrees and diplomas.

“So if an institution, subject to mentoring, thinks that it has satisfied the requirement and can be on its own, it may request to be chartered,” he said.

Mr Iddrisu also assured Parliament that regulatory oversight and quality assurance would still be maintained by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission through institutional accreditation, programme approval and academic audits.

The Education Committee of Parliament supported the amendment, noting that the previous regime risked disrupting the education of thousands of Ghanaian students if some private universities were forced to shut down.

The amendment also allows private universities to participate more actively in programme approval processes, ensuring that courses introduced by these institutions align with national education policy objectives.

Government says the reform forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s tertiary education sector while recognising private universities as key partners in expanding access to higher education.