The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), University of Cape Coast (UCC) Branch, has issued a final notice urging the government to remove the top leadership of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) by January 31st or face an industrial strike. UTAG-UCC warns that while industrial action is a last resort, it has become necessary to protect university autonomy.
The decision follows an emergency meeting on Monday, January 26, where the Association emphasized that under the tenure of Director-General Prof. Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor and his deputy, Prof. Augustine Ocloo, the Commission has transformed from a regulatory partner into an “instrument of intimidation.”
UTAG-UCC maintains that the leadership has consistently overstepped its legal mandate. They point to 2025 actions against UCC that they say “demonstrate a pattern where regulatory authority was used as punitive leverage,” affecting staff welfare, academic continuity, and institutional stability.
In a formal statement, the Association highlighted several grievances, including:
- The directive requiring the UCC Vice-Chancellor to step aside;
- Imposition of sweeping institutional sanctions
- Reputational sanctioning
- Conditional restoration of services after compliance
- Regulatory actions affecting lawful academic participation
- Rigid enforcement of retirement timelines
- Opaque handling of post-retirement contract approvals
- The withdrawal of accreditation for UCC’s MSc and MPhil Customs Administration programmes.
The Association warns that academic freedom is being eroded “through the back door” via administrative pressures that “weaken university autonomy, distort internal governance, and compel universities to surrender lawful decision-making under fear of sanctions.”
UTAG-UCC emphasizes that academic freedom includes not only classroom independence but also the institutional capacity to govern teaching, research, and administration without external coercion. While they remain open to dialogue, the Association insists the era of “coercive regulatory leverage” must end to restore trust in higher education.
The statement concluded: “If government fails to meet these demands, UTAG will not hesitate… to deploy all lawful options available, including industrial action… to defend university autonomy.”
In a significant show of solidarity, UTAG-KNUST has also backed the calls for the removal of the GTEC Director-General and his Deputy.
