The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government for the removal of the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, and his deputy, Prof. Augustine Ocloo, from office.
In a petition to the President, the association accused the GTEC’s leadership of regulatory overreach, issuing unilateral directives, and adopting what it describes as a coercive administrative style.
At a press briefing in Accra, UTAG National President, Prof. Vera Fiador, also called for the immediate withdrawal of GTEC’s September 30 circular, which disaccredited some institutions.
“UTAG respectfully calls on the President for the following reliefs. The Director-General and Deputy Director-General of GTEC must be relieved of their current roles in order to restore confidence in the tertiary education sector and reset regulatory posture.
“Government must urgently operationalize the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) through a clear and unambiguous Legislative Instrument (LI), including mandatory consultative rule-making, clear limits on interference in internal governance, and a transparent appeals mechanism against regulatory decisions.
“GTEC circulars dated 30 September 2025 and 1 October 2025 should be withdrawn with immediate effect and subjected to structured stakeholder consultation and harmonization with existing legal frameworks and negotiated Conditions of Service,” she said
President of the University of Ghana chapter of UTAG, Dr Jerry Joe Harrison, warned that the association may withdraw its services to GTEC or embark on industrial action if their demands are not met.
“We have several tools at our disposal, including withdrawing all services that we render to GTEC. Of course, to the extreme, industrial disharmony can be activated because if members of UTAG are not happy doing the jobs they are supposed to do, there is no point remaining in the classroom. This issue we talked about directly affects us, the students we teach as well,” he said.
