The Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Prof. Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has dismissed claims that the Commission’s recent enforcement actions against the use of honorary academic titles are politically motivated.
This follows GTEC’s latest directive cautioning individuals against appending honorary titles such as “Doctor” and “Professor” to their names without formal academic justification.
According to the Commission, the initiative is part of a broader effort to restore credibility and order within Ghana’s tertiary education landscape.
Speaking on Citi FM, on Friday, July 4, Prof. Jinapor emphasized that the enforcement campaign is meant to sanitise the academic space and is not targeted at any individual or political party.
“Our position is to sanitise and regulate the tertiary educational space. An honorary doctorate, though it reflects your contributions to society, is not an academic title. What’s even more worrying is the misuse of the title ‘Professor.’ There are a lot of people who claim to be professors when they are not, and we’re not going to renege on our efforts. It’s not about politics,” he clarified.
He noted that the issue is widespread and cuts across various sectors, not just politics.
“If you look at the individuals who have come into the public domain, it cuts across. The names you’ve heard are just a microcosm of the larger group of individuals involved in this situation,” he added.
Prof. Jinapor also mentioned that while many individuals comply once they are notified, some continue to defy the directive.
“It’s just a few recalcitrant ones who are adamant and have been fighting the system,” he stated.
GTEC recently issued a formal caution to the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Phillis Naa Koryoo Okunor, directing her to immediately stop using the academic title “Doctor.” Similarly, the Commission instructed Sofo Rashid Tanko, Acting CEO of the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC), popularly known as “Tanko-Computer,” to cease using the title due to a lack of academic qualification.
Source: Adomonline
