by Linda Straker
- GNAB is a body corporate of Government
- Dr Tessa St Cyr is former Opposition Senator
- Appointment in 31 March 2023 Government Gazette
The Cabinet recently appointed Former Opposition Senator Dr Tessa St Cyr as the new chairman of the Grenada National Accreditation Board (GNAB).
A notice in the 31 March 2023 edition of the Government Gazette published the names of the Board who will be serving office for 3 years effective 28 November 2022. That notice, signed by Elvis Morain, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, came approximately 4 months after the appointment.
The other members are Dr Wendy Grenade, who is serving as Deputy Chairman; Elvis Morain; Chevaughn Spencer-Joseph; Dr Glen Jacobs; Robert Medford; Dr Nicole Phillip-Dowe; Dr Robert Yearwood; Lincoln Morgan; Kenny James and Shawna Cuffie.
Among the functions of the Board according to the Accreditation are to accredit and reaccredit institutions operating in Grenada, and the programmes of study offered; to maintain a registry and database of the institutions, and of the programmes of study accredited by the Board; to ensure that the quality of all higher education programmes offered in Grenada, meets the standards set by the Board for any award.
The members are also to ensure the maintenance of the appropriate standards, whether set by the Board or by any other legitimate accreditation body having jurisdiction to set standards, to be followed by the Board; to provide for the accreditation of new programmes of study offered by institutions operating in Grenada and to advise on the recognition of foreign institutions and the awards that they offer.
The law further provides for Board members to determine the equivalence of programmes of study and qualifications, in accordance with the framework established by the relevant accreditation body; to develop and maintain a unified system of credits for institutions; to establish relationships with national and external accrediting and quality assurance bodies, and keep under review, their systems of accreditation, procedures and practices and to oversee the undertaking of audits, reviews and evaluations independently or in cooperation with other bodies, as the Board may consider necessary for the discharge of its functions.
The GNAB is a body corporate of Government, and the members of the Board shall be paid such remuneration and expenses as the Minister may determine.
A person shall be disqualified from being a member of the Board and shall not become or continue to be appointed as a Board Member, if the person is or has been declared bankrupt pursuant to the provisions of the Bankruptcy Act, Chapter 27, declared by a Court to be physically or mentally incapacitated by reason of unsoundness of mind; convicted of a criminal offence, except where the offence is a minor traffic offence; or and convicted of an offence pursuant to the provisions of the Accreditation Act.
Among the offences in the Accreditation Act is a Board member failing to declare any direct or indirect interest in a matter before the Board. “A Board member who fails to comply with subsection (3) of this section commits an offence, and upon summary conviction, is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or to both,” states Section 12 subsection 4 of the legislation.
