The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) is calling for the removal of the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, and his deputy, Prof. Augustine Ocloo.
In a breaking news update shared with Ghana Education News from reliable sources, the report stated: “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.”
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A petition calling for the removal of the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has been issued by the leadership of UTAG to the government.
The work of the GTEC boss has been described by the association as being “clothed in unilateral decisions.” The petition, which was sent to President John Dramani Mahama, accused the Director-General of regulatory overreach, issuing unilateral directives, and employing a coercive administrative style under his watch at GTEC.
At a press conference held in Accra by the leadership of UTAG, the National President, Prof. Vera Fiador, demanded the immediate withdrawal of a GTEC circular dated September 30th, which she claimed was used to discredit certain 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 the regulatory posture,” Prof. Fiador stated.
She further emphasized: “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“GTEC circulars dated 30 September 2025 and 1 October 2025 should be withdrawn with immediate effect and subjected to structured stakeholder consultation and harmonization with existing legal frameworks and negotiated Conditions of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 added.
Prof. Fiador expressed frustration over the lack of government feedback: “It has been almost two months since the submission of our petition, and we have yet to even receive an acknowledgement. At this point, we have no option but to believe that our petition was not processed for the attention of His Excellency the President, or that the President has ignored our petition.”
According to her, the current “command and control” leadership approach deployed by the GTEC leadership not only undermines the autonomy of public universities but has also weakened academic freedom at the tertiary level.
Speaking on the matter, the President of the UTAG-UG Chapter, Dr. Jerry Joe Harrison, added that UTAG will withdraw all its services to GTEC or embark on an industrial strike if the government fails to take immediate action.
“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 and the students we teach as well,” Dr. Harrison warned.
UTAG maintains that the 14-day window is to allow the Presidency to respond to its concerns, warning that further action will be taken if the issues remain unresolved.
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