Dr. Kingsley Nyarko
The National Accreditation Board (NAB) has warned the general public against accepting honorary doctorate degrees from the Commonwealth University and the London Graduate School, United Kingdom (UK).
NAB, in a press release signed by its Acting Executive Secretary, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko, said the Commonwealth University and London Graduate School have not been accredited by the relevant body to award any degree, be it regular or honorary.
It said “we, therefore, issue this notice to forewarn the dignitaries, who are to be awarded by the said institutions with the so-called honorary degrees to avoid exposing themselves to unnecessary embarrassment and ridicule.”
The release indicated that “this is one of such instances where some foreign institutions confer such honorary degrees, particularly doctorate degrees on prominent personalities with the intent to legitimize and popularize their operations in Ghana, thereby attracting unsuspecting students to enroll in them.”
“It must be made clear that universities and other tertiary education institutions, which are unaccredited by the relevant authorities in their home countries, cannot be authorized to award any degree – regular or honorary in Ghana.”
The release pointed out that “the National Accreditation Board wishes to caution all and advise that distinguished personalities invited for such awards should verify the accreditation status and degree-awarding powers of the institutions that seek to confer on them honorary degrees to avoid any embarrassing fallouts.”
BY Melvin Tarlue