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UCC-UTAG urges GTEC to limit its role to advisory and accreditation tasks
•2 min read•1 source
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has called on the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to refrain from overstepping its regulatory boundaries. Speaking at the UTAG Experts’ Forum 2026, the union expressed concern that the commission's increasing involvement in the internal affairs of universities is undermining academic freedom. The forum, themed "Rethinking Autonomy, Power and Oversight: GTEC’s Regulatory Authority and the Politics of Academic Freedom in Ghanaian Universities," served as a platform for academics to demand a clearer definition of GTEC's mandate.
Participants at the forum argued that GTEC should primarily focus on its core responsibilities as an advisor to the government and an accreditor for academic programmes. Key speakers highlighted that when a regulatory body exerts excessive control over administrative and academic decisions, it threatens the foundational independence required for higher education to thrive. A specific point of contention raised during the discussions was the participation of GTEC representatives in university councils, which some union members view as an encroachment on the self-governance of these institutions.
To resolve these growing tensions, UCC-UTAG is advocating for a more collaborative relationship between regulatory bodies and tertiary institutions. The union emphasized that while oversight is necessary for maintaining educational standards, it must not come at the expense of the institutional autonomy guaranteed by law. Moving forward, the association seeks a formal dialogue to ensure GTEC’s regulatory framework supports, rather than stifles, the intellectual and administrative environment of Ghana's universities.
