Mixed reactions have greeted suggestions by Employment Minister, Moses Asaga that private universities are the cause of unemployment in the country.

The Minister is quoted to have said the private tertiary institutions take mediocre students who graduate with sub-standard qualification thereby saturating the market with sub-standard graduates who do not merit employment.

But the Vice Rector of the Pentecost University College, Professor Kwame Omane -Antwi told Joy News Television the private tertiary institutions have rather made it possible for students to get access to tertiary education.

According to Professor Omane-Antwi, like any other university, the Pentecost University for instance does not admit unqualified students.

He added that the students they admit are trained to become entrepreneurs who contribute to reducing the unemployment rate in the country.

?Pentecost University has had students graduating as chartered accountants and others reading Master?s programs overseas. It is therefore unfair for us to be criticised this way?, Prof. Omane-Antwi said.

The Dean of Strategic Studies at the African University College of Communication, Osei Piesie on the other hand was in support of the Minister?s comments.

He noted that public universities in the country admit qualified students to pursue courses whiles paying lesser fees while the unqualified students rush into the arms of private universities who in return charge high fees and offer courses that are available to them.

Mr. Piesie stated that ?if private universities were professionally oriented, they would be producing people to fill jobs not to add to unemployed graduates?.