Dear Editor,
In recent times, Guyana has experienced a proliferation of private educational institutions being set up to offer education at all levels. While the Ministry of Education delivers and regulates public education at the nursery, primary, and secondary levels, the National Accreditation Council was set up by Parliament through Act 12 of 2004 to ensure that all post-secondary and tertiary educational institutions in Guyana receive approval to operate and offer their services.
Each parent, guardian, and student needs to ensure the following:
1. Before enrolling at any educational institution above the secondary level, students should ensure that the institution is registered with the National Accreditation Council. The registration process is not one where the institution pays a sum and gets its name on a register. It is a quality assured process that requires the institution to meet twenty-three standards that deal with the legal status of the institution, governance and administration, the quality of staff, the physical resources, the teaching-learning process, the system in place to ensure that quality is maintained, and that there is continuous development of the institution.
2. The National Accreditation Council advertises on its website www.nac.gov.gy a list of all the institutions that are registered and have full approval to operate as post-secondary and tertiary educational institutions. If the name of the institution in which you are interested is not on the list, it has not received approval to operate
3. If a student attends a post-secondary or tertiary institution that is not registered with the National Accreditation Council, the certificates, diplomas, or degrees awarded will not be recognised by the National Accreditation Council. This means that if the student wants to use this certificate, diploma, or degree to obtain a job or for further study, he/she would not receive recognition for the programme that he/she completed.
4. When Guyanese students migrate to other countries and try to use the certificates obtained in Guyana for further education, the administrators of the institutions which they seek to attend, normally make contact with the National Accreditation Council to verify the authenticity of their qualifications. Specific questions are asked about the institutions and the value of their qualifications. If the administrators are not convinced that the institutions and their programmes were quality assured, they do not accept the qualifications.
The National Accreditation Council implores the Guyanese public to be aware of persons who are setting up schools/institutions without the approval of the Council and are charging exorbitant fees. Many persons have been caught in this trap. Exercise some caution! Seek the advice of the Council. Check the website. Call us at any of the following numbers: 223-7935/2237901/ 225-9526/225-7662. Ensure that you get value for your dollar.
Yours faithfully,
Deborah Jack
Executive Director
National Accreditation Council
Suelle Findlay-Williams
Communication Specialist
