The University Teachers Association of Ghana, University for Development Studies Branch (UTAG–UDS), has fully endorsed the call by its sister UTAG branches for the resignation of the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
In a statement issued on January 29, 2026 UTAG-UDS said it “aligns itself unequivocally with the concerns raised” by the other UTAG branches.
The Association and affirmed that the actions, posture, and regulatory conduct of the current leadership of GTEC have had direct, adverse, and far-reaching consequences for public universities across the country.
UTAG-UDS argued that “administrative overreach, policy inconsistency, and regulatory ambiguity” by the GTEC Director-General have led to cumulative effects on the University in several ways.
These include;
a) Persistent post-retirement engagement challenges for senior academic staff, including the scrapping of rollover arrangements that have traditionally helped address staffing gaps during active academic trimesters.
b) Unilateral reassignment of post-retirement approval authority from University Governing Councils to GTEC is in clear violation of established governance norms.
c) Systematic erosion of the authority of Governing Councils and Academic Boards, thereby undermining statutory governance structures established by Acts of Parliament.
d) Restriction/ban on the establishment of new departments and faculties, regardless of institutional need, readiness, or capacity, unless expressly approved by GTEC.
e) Assumption of excessive discretionary powers by the Director-General, including threats to withdraw accreditation and subvention in response to unresolved administrative and management disagreements.
f) Overriding of legitimate University Council decisions taken pursuant to mandates conferred by university statutes.
g) Continuous variation and unilateral alteration of negotiated Conditions of Service, particularly affecting Research Fellows and Librarians, contrary to established labour relations principles.
UTAG-UDS maintained that governance disruptions by GTEC pose a serious threat to equity, access, quality, institutional stability, and national development outcomes.
UTAG–UDS reiterated that academic freedom and institutional autonomy are constitutional guarantees, not discretionary privileges subject to administrative interpretation.
“Any regulatory body that interprets its mandate in ways that override university statutes, weaken Governing Councils, and micromanage academic administration acts contrary to both the letter and spirit of Ghana’s higher education governance framework.
“We share the view that the current leadership of GTEC has blurred the critical distinction between advisory oversight and regulatory authority, resulting in unilateral directives that lack a clear legal basis, procedural fairness, transparency, and due process,” the statement noted.
UTAG–UDS called on the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of GTEC to resign in the national interest to restore trust, professionalism, and stability within the tertiary education sector.
They want government to urgently operationalise Act 1023 through a clear, unambiguous Legislative Instrument (LI) to prevent future abuse of authority, role confusion, and administrative excesses.
“All UTAG branches, staff unions, students, and civil society organisations are to remain vigilant, united, and resolute in the defense of public universities and democratic governance in higher education,” UTAG-UDS implored.
