UTAG-KNUST rejects GTEC proposal to harmonise university promotion standards

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has strongly opposed a proposed policy by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) aimed at harmonising promotion guidelines for academic senior members across public universities.

In a letter addressed to the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, through the UTAG National Secretariat in Accra, UTAG-KNUST questioned the basis for the initiative, saying it was introduced without sufficient consultation with key stakeholders in the university sector.

The association argued that GTEC’s justification that there are disparities in promotion standards across universities was unconvincing and not adequately supported, adding that such differences are intentional and reflect the distinct mandates and structures of individual institutions.

UTAG-KNUST further questioned why the proposed harmonisation targets only academic staff promotions, noting that other categories of university workers also operate under varying conditions that have not been subjected to similar reform proposals.

“We respectfully ask whether academic staff are the only category of university personnel for whom disparities exist?” the association stated, stressing that public universities were established with unique governance systems, academic traditions and institutional identities.

The association warned that standardising promotion criteria across universities could weaken institutional autonomy and erode the diversity that defines Ghana’s higher education system.

Instead, UTAG-KNUST urged GTEC to focus on broader structural challenges within the sector, including student-to-lecturer ratios, laboratory facilities, staffing shortages and overall teaching and learning conditions.

It also called for renewed attention to the classification or tiering of Ghana’s universities, arguing that such a framework would be more effective than what it described as minor interventions in promotion policies.

The association specifically cited challenges facing under-resourced institutions such as the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), urging regulators to prioritise strengthening capacity across the sector rather than enforcing uniform standards.

UTAG-KNUST further indicated that its members would be unwilling to cooperate with management in implementing the proposed framework unless wider disparities, particularly in staffing and infrastructure, are addressed.

It maintained that existing governance arrangements already provide adequate autonomy for university councils, insisting that the current system is functioning and does not require such intervention.