Parliament, on Thursday June 4 unanimously passed the Education Regulatory Bodies Bill, 2019 to effectively and efficiently regulate the education sector in the country.
The Act will restructure and merge the existing National Council for Tertiary Education and the National Accreditation Board into one institution to be known as the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.
It is also expected to merge the Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training, the National Board for Professional and Technician Examinations and the National Vocational Training Institute into a new body, to be known as the National Commission for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
The Act also deals with the administrative and financial provisions in respect of the five regulatory bodies established under the Bill and provides for the National Teaching Council, the National Inspectorate Authority and the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment respectively.
The passage of the Bill came after it had undergone intensive amendments at the consideration stage when it was laid and read the first time at the plenary by the Minister responsible for Education Dr. Mathew Osei Prempeh on Wednesday 29th May, 2019.
The Speaker Rt. Hon. Professor Michael Aaron Oquaye then subsequently referred it to the Select Committee on Education for consideration and report.
The Act is made up of six parts describing the structures of the various Regulatory Bodies and consists of 118 Clauses with two Schedules.
The 118 Clauses and two Schedules consist of information required for an Application for Accreditation and Form of Accreditation Certificate.
The green light for the passage given to the Bill followed the approval by the House after agreeing that it is imperative that effective education regulatory structures, laws and institutions are established to help improve the quality of the educational sector.
Prior to the passage of the Bill, the Majority Leader and MP for Suame, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, moved the motion for it to be read the third time and it was seconded by the Member of Parliament for Wa West Constituency Joseph Yieleh Chireh.
His Excellency the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is expected to give the presidential assent.
