The University Teachers’ Association of Ghana, University of Ghana Branch (UTAG-UG), has called for the resignation of the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, and his Deputy, Prof. Augustine Ocloo, citing actions that it says are undermining public tertiary education institutions.
In a statement dated Monday, January 19, 2026, UTAG-UG highlighted a series of decisions and directives by GTEC that it claims contradict the Commission’s mandate under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023).
According to the association, GTEC has shifted focus from its core functions—ensuring quality standards, promoting equitable access, and fostering transparent governance—to “tangential and sometimes frivolous actions, such as chasing people with ‘fake degrees,’ while neglecting the fundamental issues affecting tertiary education in Ghana.”
UTAG-UG also raised concerns about the recent directive requiring lecturers to retire on their 60th birthday rather than at the end of the academic year.
“If a lecturer’s birthday falls in the middle of the semester and retires forthwith on attaining 60 years, forfeiting any offer of post-retirement contract, how do the students…finish the rest of the semester?” the statement questioned.
The association criticized what it described as the Commission’s overreach, including attempts to overturn decisions taken by the Governing Councils of public universities and interfering with staff recruitment processes.
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UTAG-UG said such actions have negatively impacted staff morale, academic freedom, and institutional autonomy.
“These recurring mishaps are not accidental – they represent a pattern of incompetent administration that undermines academic freedom…institutional autonomy… and the vision and principles UTAG defended when opposing the now infamous Public Universities Bill,” the statement noted.
UTAG-UG set a January 31, 2026, deadline for the resignation of Prof. Jinapor and Prof. Ocloo. Failure to comply, the association warned, will trigger a petition to the Chief-of-Staff for their removal and possible industrial action.
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The group also urged the immediate enactment of a Legislative Instrument to guide the implementation of Act 1023 and prevent future abuse of power by GTEC leadership.
UTAG-UG called on its sister campuses and other stakeholders to join the fight against “tyranny, oppression, and administrative abuse” to restore sanity and confidence in Ghana’s public tertiary education sector.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
