GTEC warns of abuse of honorary degrees

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has deplored the abuse of honorary doctorate degrees and professorship titles conferred upon individuals by various institutions, both within Ghana and abroad. 

It said the appropriation of those honorary titles as part of the name of any recipient “is deemed unethical and contravenes several provisions of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), as well as other pertinent laws governing higher education in Ghana”.

It said the commission had observed the use of the titles Doctor (Dr) and Professor (Prof.) by recipients of such awards, and that “these practices are deemed misleading and serve to misinform both the academic community and the general public”.

In clarifying its position on the matter, the Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor, in a statement, said honorary degrees were conferred judiciously and strategically on individuals of exceptional achievement and distinguished service, whose contributions aligned with and enhanced the values and mission of the conferring institutions. 

Recognition

It said while the commission acknowledged and encouraged the responsible recognition of distinguished individuals by higher education institutions, such honours should only be conferred by accredited and duly recognised institutions within the realm of Ghanaian higher education.

The mandate of GTEC as contained in Section 8 (3) (d) of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, the statement said, “mandates the commission to regulate the use of higher education nomenclature and titles, including ‘university’, ‘college’, ‘Emeritus’, ‘Professor’, ‘Doctor’, ‘Chartered’ and related terms”.

Thus, it said, the commission, in its pursuit of upholding the integrity of Ghanaian tertiary education, would like to appeal to the public and institutions within the Ghanaian higher education landscape to collaborate in the endeavour.

Responsibility

“In the light of these concerns, the commission implores individuals to exercise personal responsibility regarding this issue and refrain from using these titles as part of their names.

Higher education institutions are advised to exercise restraint in the conferral of these honours, as we collectively honour and promote partnerships with our stakeholders to develop and maintain the integrity of Ghanaian higher education,” it said.

To safeguard the integrity of Ghana's higher education system and to uphold its deserved credibility and respect, GTEC demanded that all stakeholders refrained from the misuse of honorary academic titles.

“Where persistency to deliberately set aside this request is observed, the commission shall reserve the right to evoke its regulatory functions to sanction the individuals and/or institutions involved that ultimately seek to dilute the value of true doctoral education and potentially mislead students, academia and the general public,” the statement said.