MONROVIA, Montserrado – The National Commission on Higher Education will shortly begin an exercise to identify and weed out substandard tertiary education institutions.
NCHE’s Executive Director Edward Lama Wonkeryor told journalists on July 9 during a press briefing at the Ministry of Information that the move will ensure compliance with standards by accredited institutions in the country.
Wonkeryor said the commission has outlined a two-year strategic objective to use regular and systematic monitoring to ensure that universities and colleges comply with its guidelines and standards.
“This is very important to battle the many quack colleges and universities that are regularly creeping at all levels of the Liberian society, with some offering master’s degrees and Ph.D.,” he said.
He indicated that the NCHE’s Quality Assurance Department has already commenced a vigorous campaign to identify and locate such institutions for appropriate actions. He asserted that the regulator would remain unbending and encouraged those concerned to do what is right to avoid future embarrassments, including shutdown.
Wonkeryor also revealed other strategic objectives that the commission has developed to allow it to successfully implement its statutory mandates and holistically transform the country’s higher education system. He said the objectives were developed with reference to the 2022 Education Sector Plan and constitute the commission’s deliverables for 2024 – 2026.
A key strategic objective is to strengthen quality assurance for higher education institutions.
“To achieve this objective, we have launched a vigorous campaign towards the establishment of quality assurance cells at each accredited institution, from whence the delivery of programs can be monitored at the institutional levels. This involves checking faculty quality, curriculum usefulness, lecturers’ attendances, and among others,” he explained.
He said that at the national level, the commission has already begun engaging with policymakers to support the verification of credentials of staff within the sector, with a significant focus on lecturers and management staff of tertiary institutions.
He said the NCHE will also collaborate with the Civil Service Agency to assess the authenticity of the employment status of staff within the higher education sector.
The executive director also named part of the objectives as strengthening the commission’s regulatory authority to effectively manage the higher education sector, adding it is intended to establish a modernized headquarters from whence the NCHE will adequately and passionately coordinate and administer higher education activities.
He said the campaign is progressing well, with two acres of land already acquired through the help of the University of Liberia, led by its former president, Julius Sarwolo Nelson.
“We have also submitted our request to the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China for assistance to construct the office building for the NCHE. We are following up on this request while seeking other means for funding,” he disclosed.
He further revealed plans to revise the 1989 Act that created the National Commission on Higher Education to build and upgrade the statutory capacity of the commission for effective performance.
Wonkeryor praised the government for raising the commission’s budget to a little over US$1 million from US$300,000 in the last fiscal budget.
“I am pleased to appreciate President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., for the bold steps taken to support higher education activities in the country by increasing the budget of the NCHE,” he said, adding that the move demonstrates the government’s interest in transforming the sector to improve its quality and make it more competitive.
“On behalf of the Secretariat of the NCHE, I extend heartfelt gratitude to the president and all contributing government functionaries, including the legislature and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, for this massive support to the NCHE and the higher education sector.”
Rudolph Q. Rudolph Sr., president and founder of Rudolph Kwanue University College in Wein Town, Paynesville, also praised the government for increasing funding to NCHE, noting that past allotments hindered its ability to function.
“How can you run or operate a great institution like NCHE with US$300,000 annually? The previous budget was just a big trouble to the commission,” he noted.
NCHE has recognized 80 tertiary institutions in the country, grouped in three categories by credentials, including two doctoral degree-granting institutions, 11 master’s degree-granting institutions, 35 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions, and 31 associate degree-granting institutions.
Featured photo courtesy of George K. Momo
