GTEC shuts down Royal Nursing College, hundreds of students left in limbo

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has shut down the Royal Nursing College with immediate effect, throwing the future of over 600 students into uncertainty. The closure follows the institution’s failure to provide valid accreditation documents and its defiance of direct orders to cease admissions.

The college, located at Tafo Nyhiaeso in the Ashanti Region, was ordered by GTEC in June 2024 to halt the admission of new students and focus on teaching out its existing cohort. However, a recent inspection revealed that the institution had flagrantly disregarded the directive, enrolling fresh students as recently as January 2026.

At the time of the shutdown, the college had a total enrolment of 802 students pursuing a Diploma in Registered General Nursing. Shockingly, 272 of these are Level 100 students and 320 are Level 200 students—levels that the college was explicitly prohibited from operating.

During the enforcement exercise, visibly distraught students broke down in tears as GTEC officials, accompanied by three officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, moved to seal the facility.

GTEC explained that the college lacked the necessary accreditation from both the Commission and the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana. This means that even if the students were to complete their programme, their certificates would be invalid.

“Their certificates will be fake and will not be recognised by any institution,” a GTEC official stated, emphasizing that the shutdown was a necessary measure to protect students from being defrauded and to uphold educational standards.

An inspection of the campus revealed woeful infrastructure deficits that compounded the institution’s illegitimacy. Lecture halls were grossly inadequate; Level 100 students were observed crowded into a packed auditorium without tables or proper chairs. Compounding their plight, a power outage during the visit forced students to use their books as improvised fans.

Following the inspection, the wife of the proprietor, Ken Owusu, along with other members of management, was taken into custody by the CID. Officials confirmed they would push for the prosecution of the owner for operating an illegal institution.

While the closure has halted the programmes for the junior students, GTEC confirmed that the remaining 210 continuing students will be allowed to complete their studies. They will do so under the strict supervision of their affiliated university, the University of Cape Coast (UCC), to ensure they receive valid certification.