UTAG issues 14-day ultimatum for GTEC leadership removal, regulatory reforms
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has issued a 14-day ultimatum to the government, demanding the removal of the Director-General and Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) and for the implementation of urgent regulatory reforms to restore sanity in the tertiary education sector.
The National President of the association, Professor Vera Ogeh Fiador, who made the demand at a press conference in Accra yesterday, said the association had already petitioned the Presidency on February 17, 2026, over what it described as persistent regulatory overreach, unilateral directives and a coercive administrative posture by the current leadership of GTEC.
She expressed concern that nearly two months after the submission of the petition, there had been no acknowledgement from the Presidency, a situation UTAG described as unfortunate and worrying.
“UTAG's petition for the removal of the leadership of GTEC is not a move against regulation per se. Rather, UTAG objects to regulatory overreach exercised without consultative leadership, resulting in a system that is more command-and-control than facilitative and more centralised than subsidiarity-based,” she said.
Regulatory overreach
Prof. Fiador stated that the actions of GTEC’s leadership were undermining university autonomy, academic freedom, staff welfare and the overall stability and competitiveness of public universities in the country.
The association accused GTEC of interfering in the internal governance of universities, including the usurpation of powers of governing councils and academic boards and the imposition of prior approval requirements for appointments and post-retirement engagements.
Staff welfare
On staff welfare, the association criticised directives issued by GTEC in September and October 2025 relating to post-retirement contracts and salary payment procedures, describing them as inconsistent with negotiated conditions of service.
According to UTAG, the directives had created administrative bottlenecks, disrupted academic work and worsened staffing challenges, while exposing universities to potential legal and financial risks.
The association further noted that unilateral variations and selective implementation of conditions of service, including issues affecting research fellows and librarians, had strained labour relations and increased the risk of industrial unrest.
Demands
UTAG, therefore, called on the government to operationalise the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023) through a clear Legislative Instrument that will define the limits of regulatory authority, ensure mandatory stakeholder consultation and establish a transparent appeals mechanism.
The association also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the disputed GTEC directives and the protection of all existing post-retirement contracts entered into before their introduction.
In addition, UTAG called for its inclusion in the consultative processes to finalise the Legislative Instrument and any amendments to the Act, as well as the maintenance of the current academic-year rollover arrangements pending the conclusion of lawful processes.
