The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has announced plans to prosecute individuals and institutions found to be fraudulently using academic titles or qualifications.
The initiative is part of broader efforts to protect the integrity and credibility of Ghana’s tertiary education system.
“We’ve had engagements with such individuals, but now we are moving towards naming, shaming, and legal enforcement,” said GTEC Director-General, Professor Ahmed Jinapor.
Among the cases currently under review is that of politician Hassan Ayariga. According to Prof. Jinapor, Ayariga has publicly claimed to possess three doctorate degrees—two honorary and one academic PhD.
“He claimed three degrees—two honorary, one academic. We asked for proof of the academic only,” Prof. Jinapor stated.
Despite multiple attempts to verify the credentials, GTEC says it has yet to receive any evidence supporting Mr. Ayariga’s claim to an academic doctorate.
“We didn’t hear from him. We sent him a message. No response. Then we wrote to him officially—though that letter was not made public. He replied, and signed the letter as Dr. Hassan Ayariga,” Prof. Jinapor disclosed.
Further efforts to clarify the matter have reportedly been hampered by inconsistencies in Mr. Ayariga’s statements regarding his PhD.
“In one interview with Bola Ray, he said his PhD was in Business Management with a thesis in Political Science. In another with Paul Adom-Otchere, he said his PhD was in Political Science with a thesis in Political Tolerance. This is quite interesting,” Prof. Jinapor remarked.
Addressing the broader concern over misuse of academic titles, Prof. Jinapor emphasized GTEC’s legal mandate to regulate such titles.
“As a regulatory body, GTEC stressed that individuals cannot use titles such as ‘Honorable Doctor,’ ‘Doctor (Honorable),’ ‘Doctor (Honorable Courser),’ ‘Honorable Prof.,’ or ‘Prof. Honorable Courser,’” he emphasized.
“I have had people in academia and high offices argue otherwise, but for the avoidance of doubt, using such titles based on honorary degrees violates Act 1023,” he added. “These acts constitute public deception and will be prosecuted accordingly.”
Prof. Jinapor also issued a strong advisory to media houses, urging them to properly verify academic credentials before using titles in publications.
“As media outlets, don’t just take information at face value. Do your background checks. If someone is engaging in illegality and you’re facilitating it, that’s conspiracy,” he warned.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh / Benjamin Sackey
