UBIDS halts new programmes as Parliament probes accreditation and staffing crisis

The University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) has suspended the rollout of all new academic programmes as the Parliamentary Committee on Education investigates a severe accreditation backlog, critical staffing shortages and mounting infrastructure debts.

The institution’s growing issues were laid bare during a recent parliamentary oversight visit, where university management faced intense scrutiny over the operational realities of transitioning to full autonomy. After its former parent university declined to process its accreditations, UBIDS was forced to independently repackage and submit a staggering 177 programmes for approval.

The Vice-Chairman of the Education Committee, Joseph Kwame Kumah, warned that running unaccredited programmes alongside severe faculty shortages poses a critical risk to students, pointing to past precedents where institutions were forced to “teach out” and discontinue failing programmes.

During the session, the Member of Parliament for Offinso North, Dr Fred Kyei Asamoah, led a sweeping inquiry into the university's strategic and financial viability. Dr Asamoah questioned how an institution with just 227 lecturers could sustain 177 programmes, especially when its 1,898 weekend master's students vastly outnumbered its 356 regular students.

He also heavily scrutinised the feasibility of launching a medical school by 2027 without a dedicated teaching hospital or sufficient faculty, and demanded accountability for how a GH¢10 million seed fund was utilised, alongside concerns over a projected tenfold increase in casual staff costs.

In a robust defence, the UBIDS Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Emmanuel Kanchebe Derbile, revealed that the university’s financial and infrastructural woes are deeply tied to external constraints.

He disclosed that the government still owes GH¢114 million for land acquisition, a lingering debt that has severely hampered campus development. Currently, a planned 600-bed facility would accommodate only 6 per cent of the university’s roughly 10,000-student population.

Addressing the staffing crisis, the Vice-Chancellor noted that the university lost 55 critical staff members to the University for Development Studies (UDS) during the transition to autonomy—a loss he attributed to poor transfer protocols. However, management has recently secured approval from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to recruit new assistant lecturers to bridge the gap.

The parliamentary session also spotlighted a stark gender disparity at the postgraduate level, with female enrolment declining from 52 per cent in diploma programmes to 27 per cent at the master's level, and just 15 per cent at the PhD level. In response, the Vice-Chancellor announced the recent establishment of the Centre for Gender Diversity and Social Inclusion to actively mentor female candidates and address the imbalance.

Despite severe infrastructural challenges that have affected its competitiveness in student admissions, university officials showcased significant academic achievements.

The School of Law recently celebrated a historic milestone, with 27 out of 47 graduates passing their professional entrance examinations on their first attempt. Furthermore, the university’s flagship Practical Training Programme (PTP) continues to drive regional development by deploying students to local communities for advocacy and skills training. The initiative, directed by Professor Stanley K. Dary, was commended by the committee.

As UBIDS navigates its complex early years of independence, university management is urgently appealing for targeted government interventions—including special financial dispensation for new universities and integrated infrastructure projects—to stabilise its academic framework and secure the institution’s future.