That, he said, was to enable the universities to charge affordable fees as part of their contribution towards promoting access to tertiary education in the country.

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw expressed fear that some private universities in the country could collapse due to what he described as the continuous reduction in the number of students who sought admission.

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He explained that tuition fees alone constituted about 50 per cent of the total fees charged and if that component was absorbed, the universities could charge competitive fees to attract more students.

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw made the appeal in an interview with the Daily Graphic after the 19th matriculation ceremony of the university held in Accra last Saturday.

Not profit oriented

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw stressed that private universities should not be regarded as profit making institutions but rather be seen as major stakeholders in the government’s resolve to broaden access to quality education in the country.

“If we consider them as such and fail to render them the needed support, a lot of them will collapse to our own detriment.

We should be mindful that this sector employs thousands of Ghanaians.

The introduction of the Free Senior High School policy will boost demand for tertiary education in the next two years.

“The private universities have a major role to play because our public universities cannot meet the demand,” Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw stated.

Matriculation ceremony

The matriculation ceremony saw the induction of 788 students into the Dansoman, Tema, and Wenchi campuses of the university to pursue various programmes.

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw said in his address that as of last Friday, the university had received a total of 905 applications for the 2018/2019 academic year.

He explained that out of the number of matriculating students, 137 were into post-graduate programmes, while 449 were into undergraduate programmes.

Advice

Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw reminded the students that the Methodist University College was a faith-based institution and that Christian principles such as discipline and morality were to be strictly adhered to.

“This is a faith-based institution and we adhere strictly to Christian principles.

We do not compromise on morality and decency by way of dressing, language and character,” he said.

He also advised them to desist from the use of violence in the event of expressing their grievances but make the effort to utilise the laid-down procedures for resolving misgivings.

Speaking on behalf of the students, Ms Sandra Parker, a Beninese, expressed appreciation to the management of the university for the opportunity offered them to study at the college and gave an assurance that they would abide by the principles of the university.