GTEC Bosses Face Heat: UTAG-UG Demands Resignation
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The University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG) has called for the immediate resignation of Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) Director-General, Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, and his Deputy, Professor Augustine Ocloo, citing their “adversarial” management style and “incompetent administration”.
According to a press statement issued by UTAG-UG, the GTEC leadership has consistently acted outside its mandate, undermining academic freedom and institutional autonomy. The association accuses GTEC of abandoning its core responsibilities, including ensuring quality standards and promoting equitable access, and instead focusing on “tangential and frivolous actions” such as pursuing holders of fake degrees.
The statement highlights several grievances, including a directive requiring lecturers to retire immediately upon turning 60, which disrupts academic activities, and the removal of the former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, which UTAG-UG questions the legal basis for. The association also criticizes GTEC’s approach to engagement with university management, citing a situation where Professor Jinapor wrote to the University of Ghana demanding a reversal of an alleged 25% fee increment, which turned out to be a false report.
UTAG-UG warns that if Professor Abdulai and Professor Ocloo do not resign by January 31, 2026, the association will petition the Chief of Staff for their removal and take industrial action if necessary. The association is also calling for the immediate enactment of a Legislative Instrument to guide the implementation of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), to prevent future abuse of power.
The quality of education in Ghana’s public tertiary institutions is at an all-time low, UTAG-UG notes, due to insufficient budgetary support, inadequate infrastructure, and poor lecturer remuneration, among other issues. GTEC’s leadership has shown indifference to these systemic problems, the association adds.
The outcome of this standoff is eagerly awaited, with implications for Ghana’s tertiary education system.
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Author: Korkor Anumu
