Professor Kingsley Nyarko, Deputy Minister of Education, has expressed satisfaction with the level of collaboration between the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and the Commission for Technical and Vocational Educational Training. The Deputy Minister was impressed with the setting up of a committee to look into the framework to properly execute the mandate of effective collaboration between the two institutions. That, he stressed, would ensure quality education assurance in private tertiary institutions. The Deputy Minister said this during a visit to GTEC in Accra as part of his familiarisation tour to acquaint himself with GTEC's strategic plans and policies. He commended GTEC for ensuring that institutions such as Ashesi University, Pentecost University, and the Method­ist University that were under mentorship, obtained the Presidential Charter, which made them independent educational institutions that awarded their own degree certificates. Prof Nyarko stated that plans were in place to upgr ade some of the colleges of education to university status to help diversify programmes, increase student enrollment, and also increase the gender ratio in higher education to 40 per cent female participation. The Professor called on GTEC to enhance its efforts to regulate the use of doctoral titles in the country. He expressed worry that the unregulated conferment and use of honorary doctoral degrees could undermine the true essence of academic achievement in Ghana. 'While the attainment of an honorary doctorate degree is an honour and an achievement, it should not be prefixed to one's name.  'If the practice continues unchecked, it could diminish the pursuit of formal graduate studies. If obtaining a doctorate title is as easy as buying one, there would be little incentive to pursue rigorous academic study,' he said. Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, Director General of GTEC, commended the Deputy Minister for his support and assured him of the Commission's commitment to fulfilling its mandate effectivel y. He highlighted initiatives such as addressing infrastructure deficits and implementing a distance education policy to regulate distance learning in tertiary institutions. Source: Ghana News Agency