
The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has issued a stern directive to the University of Development Studies (UDS), ordering the institution to immediately halt its unauthorized weekend delivery of the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme. According to the regulatory body, the university has been unilaterally offering the course as a weekend programme despite only being accredited to deliver it in an evening format. GTEC has given the university a seven-day ultimatum to comply with the directive or face severe regulatory sanctions, including the potential suspension or revocation of the programme’s accreditation.
The directive follows reports that UDS had been requiring students to switch to the weekend format, a move GTEC describes as a significant breach of the specific conditions under which the LLB programme was initially approved. The Commission emphasized that the university must revert to the officially sanctioned evening mode of delivery without delay. Crucially, GTEC instructed that all affected students must be restored to the approved delivery schedule without suffering any academic or financial disadvantage, ensuring that the burden of the university's non-compliance does not fall on the student body.
In addition to the immediate cessation of the weekend offering, UDS is required to submit formal evidence of compliance to the Commission within the one-week timeframe. GTEC’s intervention underscores its commitment to upholding academic standards and ensuring that tertiary institutions operate strictly within the bounds of their accreditation certificates. The Commission warned that failure to adhere to these instructions would prompt further regulatory actions to protect the integrity of Ghana’s higher education system. This development serves as a sharp reminder to all tertiary institutions about the necessity of maintaining the specific delivery modes approved by the national regulator.