Parliament has approved the Education Regulatory Bodies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, making the acquisition of a Presidential Charter by private universities optional and removing the mandatory six-year timeline previously required for chartering.
The government said the compulsory charter requirement created practical challenges for private institutions, many of which struggled to meet the six-year deadline due to the high fees payable to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
According to the Education Committee of Parliament, the previous regime could have forced some private institutions to shut down, potentially disrupting the education of thousands of Ghanaian students enrolled in those schools.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament during the second reading of the bill on Friday, March 13, the Minister for Education, Haruna Iddrisu, defended the amendment, saying it would provide much-needed flexibility for private tertiary institutions while maintaining regulatory oversight.
