Quality Assurance and the Affiliation Process of Private Higher Education Institutions Involved in Continuing and Professional Education in Ghana

Private higher education institutions in Ghana offering continuing and professional education have multiple affiliations with diverse public and foreign universities as a result of varied programs on offer. The article sought to explore the benefits as well as the challenges that mentee private higher education institutions face in the affiliation process. A total of 12 participants consisting of 10 administrators from 10 private higher education institutions and two quality assurance officials, constituted the purposive sample for this study. In addition, documents were downloaded from institutional websites. Data collection procedures consisted of a semi-structured, open-ended interview protocol. Using the three main isomorphic classifications of the) institutional theory, i.e., coercive, mimetic and normative, the outcome of the study among others, showed an emulation and improvement in program offerings as a result of affiliation. However, some mentee participants were of the view that mentors regarded the affiliation process as a gold mine and complained about the high fees they were required to pay. The website documents analyzed revealed that mentee institutions were affiliated to both local and foreign higher education institutions as a sign of prestige. Some of the challenges enumerated by participants included the time-consuming nature of the affiliation process and conflict over mentee-mentor expectations. Mentee institutions advocated that there should be a standardization of affiliation fees paid by private higher education institutions offering continuing and professional education. Ultimately, there is the need for a rethinking of the relationship between a mentor and a mentee.