The National Accreditation Board (NAB) has ordered the Methodist University College Ghana (MUCG), to withdraw 1,465 unqualified students it has admitted to various degree programmes by the end of April, this year. The order follows an audit inspection conducted by the NAB at the university which found out that some of the students who were at various levels were admitted with only proficiency certificates in Computer Studies and other courses. Others had not attained grade C6 or less in one, two or all three of the core subjects such as Mathematics, English and Integrated Science or Social Studies in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE). In an interview with graphic.com.gh in Accra, the Executive Secretary of the NAB, Mr Kwame Dattey, said that if the university did not comply with the order, the NAB would remove its certification and prevent it from advertising itself. Mr Dattey said the board’s auditing team would continue with its inspection in other tertiary institutions. The purpose, he said, was to ensure that the institutions complied with regulations set out by the Board to promote quality education. In response to the order, the university has made submissions to the NAB on the issue, prompting the Quality Assurance Committee of the board to schedule a meeting on Thursday, to determine the fate of the affected students. According to Mr Dattey, the university had indicated that it had some clarifications to make on the matter, and would be doing that before the committee on Thursday. Commenting on the order, the Principal of the university, Professor Samuel Adjepong, said the letter asking the university to withdraw the students was invalid. He explained that the university had pointed out a number of flaws which the Quality Assurance Committee of NAB was going to examine. “Their directive is no longer valid,” Professor Adjepong said. When contacted on the issue, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr Kwesi Adjepong, disagreed with the number of the students the NAB had asked the university to withdraw but would not disclose what he thought to be the right figure. Without indicating what the university planned to do about the order, Mr Adjepong said “we are still in communication and would respond at the appropriate time”. In February this year, 695 unqualified students who were admitted by the Central University College (CUC) to pursue various degree programmes this academic year were withdrawn. That followed a similar order from the NAB, which ensures that standards set by the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) are adhered to. Similary, the students at the Central University College did not obtain grade C6 or less in one, two or all three of the core subjects of Mathematics, English and Integrated Science or Social Studies in the WASSCE. The Central University gave the affected students the option of collecting refund of the fees or attending a special mitigation programme that was to provide them the opportunity to expeditiously remedy their poor grades.