'Advertise position for interested applicants' — GTEC rejects UPSA's appeal to retain two Pro-Vice-Chancellors

The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has dismissed an appeal by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), seeking to retain two Pro-Vice-Chancellors, describing the appointments as unlawful and inconsistent with existing legal frameworks.

GTEC has directed the university to immediately declare the Pro-Vice-Chancellor position vacant and open it for new applicants in accordance with national regulations and the university’s own statutes.

The development follows UPSA’s controversial decision in June 2024 to appoint two senior academics to the role — Professor Emmanuel Selase Asamoah as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, and Professor Samuel Antwi as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Transfer. Both appointments took effect from January 1, 2025.

The appointments were quickly flagged as a violation of Section 17(1) of the University of Professional Studies Act, 2012 (Act 850), which explicitly states that the university’s Council “shall appoint a Pro-Vice-Chancellor” — a singular position — in line with its statutes.

In response to concerns raised, UPSA appealed to the Ministry of Education, requesting permission for both officials to remain in office until the end of their tenure, and copied GTEC on the correspondence.

However, in a firm response dated October 16, 2025, signed by Director-General Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai and addressed to the Chairman of the UPSA Governing Council, GTEC ruled against the appeal. The Commission stated that UPSA’s attempt to maintain the dual appointments breached multiple legal provisions, including the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which requires prior approval before any institution creates a new role that carries financial implications for the state.

“The institution not only failed to seek clearance from GTEC as required by law but also appointed these two persons in conflict with its own statutes, making such an action illegal,” the letter stated.

The Commission further referenced Regulation 7.0 of the UPSA Statutes, which provides for only one Pro-Vice-Chancellor, appointed by the Council in accordance with the law. It reaffirmed that Section 17(1) of Act 850 supports this provision, emphasizing that UPSA has no legal basis for appointing more than one person to the role.

Citing the Public Service Commission regulations, GTEC noted that such appointments could be terminated with 60 days’ notice if justified, adding that in this case, there were valid legal grounds for corrective action.

GTEC also cautioned UPSA against using Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to sustain the disputed positions and instructed the university to ensure that any future revisions of its statutes comply fully with national laws.

The dual appointments originated from a Special Council meeting held on June 7, 2024. Professor Asamoah, then Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Studies, was appointed to oversee academic programmes and student affairs, while Professor Antwi, former Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, was tasked with leading research and innovation.

The latest directive from GTEC was triggered by UPSA’s letter dated October 8, 2025, which sought permission to retain the two officials until their tenure expired — a request the Commission has now definitively rejected.