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Frequently Asked Questions

Can GNAB Provide a list of accredited institutions? Collapse

Unfortunately, GNAB is unable to provide a list of accredited institutions, because there are just far too many globally to do so.

How can I find out if an institution is accredited? Expand

An Institution Status report allows you to know the accreditation status of your institution as well as the Programme that you’re interested in pursuing. this report costs between ECD$75 to ECD$100, and takes up to 10 business days to complete.

Do I need to personally bring in my documents, or can someone bring them in for me? Expand

No, you are not required to personally bring in your documents.

Which institutions are required to register? Expand • All institutions that offer education and/or training in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique that lead to the award of post-secondary and tertiary level qualifications.
• New institutions must be registered before they begin to offer these qualifications. Why is registration mandatory? Expand • It provides a legal framework for, and a means of protecting the interests of students, parents and other stakeholders in the higher education sector.
• Institutions that fail to register with GNAB are guilty of an offence and in accordance with Chapter 37:04 of the Accreditation) Act 15 of 2011, those institutions will be liable on summary conviction to a fine of up to $100,000.00 (XCD) or imprisonment for up to five (5) years or both.
• Institutions that fail to register SHOULD NOT be operating. What are GNAB’s criteria for registration? Expand • Legal, Policy and Regulatory requirements
• Governance and Administration
• Resource Management
• Teaching-Learning Process
• Quality Management and Review How does an institution begin the registration process? Expand • The institution submits a Letter of Intent, which states the name of the institution to be registered, the types and levels of qualifications offered and the number of sites or campuses that the institution wishes to have registered.
• This letter must be signed and dated by the Head of the Institution and addressed to GNAB’s Executive Director.
• GNAB will then communicate with the institution on the next steps in the process. How is an institution evaluated for registration? Expand • A gap analysis of the completed Application for Registration is conducted to determine if the minimum requirements for registration have been met.
• If the institution has met these minimum requirements, a site visit is conducted by an evaluation team comprising trained professionals appointed by GNAB to assess the institution’s operations.
• The evaluation team prepares a report and makes a recommendation on the status to be granted.
• The Board of GNAB makes the final decision on the status to be awarded. If the Board makes a decision to register the institution, GNAB issues a Certificate of Registration to the institution. If the institution has not met the requirements for registration, the institution may obtain additional support from GNAB. What are the fees to become registered? Expand

Contact GNAB for more information on fees

What decisions may be taken on institutions seeking registration? Expand • Registration for 3 years
• Provisional Registration (1 year)
• Denial of Registration

The status granted to an institution depends on the extent to which it has satisfied the criteria for registration.

How long does it take for an institution to become registered? Expand

The projected timeline for processing an application that satisfies these guidelines is a minimum of four (4) months. However, the cycle time for processing an institution’s application for registration is greatly dependent on the readiness of the institution and its ability to provide the requisite documentation and information to the GNAB.

Does an institution’s registered status expire? Expand

Yes. An institution can be registered for a period of up to three (3) years depending on the strength of its Quality Management System. Registered institutions must apply to GNAB for re-registration six (6) months prior to the expiration of their registered status. Institutions that allow their registration status to expire must immediately discontinue its use or reference to accreditation and withdraw all advertising matter, which references accreditation pursuant to section 31:04e

How does GNAB monitor registered institutions? Expand

All registered institutions must comply with the ‘Conditions for Registration of Post-Secondary and Tertiary Institutions’. They must also submit a Registered Institution’s Annual Report (RIAR) to GNAB, outlining their level of continued compliance with the criteria for registration. Failure to comply with the conditions of registered status may result in revocation of such status.

What is the difference between registration and accreditation? Expand

Registration is mandatory by law, whereas accreditation is voluntary. Registration signifies an institution has at the very least the minimum requirements to offer quality education. It does not provide assurances of the quality of educational outcomes. Accreditation is the process used to evaluate the quality of an institution or programme and to assist in continual institutional or programme improvement. It is also the status granted to an institution or programme that has been evaluated and found to meet or exceed stated criteria of educational quality. An accredited institution is one where quality of educational outcomes is assured.

Where can I find a list of registered institutions? Expand

GNAB publishes the names of all registered institutions (within Grenada) in the press, in the Government Gazette and on its official website –www.accreditation.gd (link to National Register). Also, all registered institutions are placed on a National Register of Post-secondary and Tertiary Institutions, kept and maintained by the GNAB.

What is Recognition? Expand

Recognition is the approval by a competent and duly authorised agency of the quality and acceptability of a legitimate educational institution and the qualifications it awards.

Why is Recognition important? Expand

Most employers and other public or private authorities (e.g. those responsible for the award of scholarships) require that the institution and programme are recognised. Before enrolling in a post-secondary or tertiary level institution you should ensure that the institution in which you intend to enroll has been quality assured.

What is meant by Equivalence of Qualifications? Expand

Equivalence means that a foreign qualification is comparable to a specifically identified qualification officially issued in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique.

What are “Diploma Mills”? Expand

“Diploma Mills” are organisations that award academic degrees and diplomas with very little or no academic study, and without recognition by official accrediting bodies. Such organisations operate without monitoring by state or professional agencies and grant diplomas which are either fraudulent or, because of the lack of proper standards, are considered worthless.

What is GNAB doing to protect the Public from “Diploma Mills”? Expand

GNAB will incessantly research and scan the post-secondary and tertiary education sector to determine and report the potential diploma mills operating in or offering qualifications to Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique nationals and the region. This information will be disseminated through advertisements, bulletins and other forms of media so as to inform the public of such institutions operating or seeking to operate in Grenada, Carriacou and Petit Martinique. GNAB also aims to increase awareness among students, employers and other stakeholders of the importance of pursuing post-secondary and tertiary level study at recognised institutions, and seeking qualifications that will be accepted by employers and institutions locally, regionally and internationally.

How can I tell if an institution is a “Diploma Mill”? Expand Detecting ‘diploma mills’ can be difficult, but fraudulent post-secondary and tertiary institutions generally exhibit common features. Here’s what to look out for:
• Names that are similar to those of well-known colleges or universities;
• Declaration of accreditation from ‘bogus’ or un-recognised accrediting bodies;
• Frequent changes of address or ad ministrative offices housed in rented mailboxes;
• Contact is by e-mails only;
• Written material with spelling and grammatical errors (sometimes on the diploma itself), as well as brochures, websites and documents with pretentious language;
• Overemphasis on the affordability and the impact a degree will have on job prospects;
• Little or no selectivity in admissions, often advertising their ‘open door’ policy;
• Very limited or even no interaction with professors;
• Degree requirements that are few and often unspecified;
• Degrees that can be earned over a much shorter period of time than conventional institutions; some degrees may be advertised for completion in just a few months, weeks or even days;
• Tuition and fees that are often advertised on a per-degree basis. For example, students may be offered a discount for enrolling in several degree programmes at once; provisions may even be made for the institution to deduct monthly payments from an individual’s bank account.
NB: This list has been developed by the ACTT (Accreditation Council of Trinidad and Tobago – ACTT.org.tt) and is not the original work of GNAB. ACTT is a partner organisation of GNAB. What are Professional Regulatory Bodies? Expand

A professional body is a group of people in a specialised occupation who are entrusted with maintaining control or oversight of the legitimate practice of the occupation. Professional regulatory bodies in many countries play a significant role in the oversight of education, training and certification linked to the profession. Regulatory bodies have long been established in fields such as medicine, law, architecture and engineering. The growing specialisation of the workplace has led to a rapid growth of professional bodies such as nursing, teaching, library science, counselling, insurance, and accounting.

What is CANQATE? Expand

The Caribbean Area Network for Quality Assurance in Tertiary Education (CANQATE) was established in 2004 as a sub-network of the International Network for Quality Assurance Agencies in Higher Education (INQAAHE). CANQATE is the regional body that works to promote capacity building among countries and institutions of higher education and to facilitate regional discourses on policy and research in the fields of quality assurance and quality enhancement. For more information on CANQATE please visit: http://canqate.org/Home.aspx

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