Oliver Barker-Vormawor is a social activist and a lawyer
Private legal practitioner and social activist, Oliver Barker-Vormawor, has called out the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), raising serious concerns about the potential dangers associated with its approach to targeting individuals who use ‘unearned’ professor titles.
According to him, the commission’s recent action is problematic and risks undermining its credibility, which he warned could jeopardise the country’s tertiary education oversight and academic system.
Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah does not hold the title of ‘professor’ in any capacity – GTEC
Barker-Vormawor, in his view, explained that GTEC is mandated to strictly regulate tertiary institutions, monitor academic standards in the country, and verify the certificates and degrees of individuals when a formal request is made for such a task.
“The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission is supposed to be the guardian of academic quality and standards in this country. Instead, it has become the subject of controversy for claiming the power to decide who can or cannot use the title ‘Professor.’
“This is deeply problematic. GTEC’s mandate under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act is straightforward: regulate tertiary institutions, monitor academic standards, and verify certificates and degrees when formally requested,” he wrote on Facebook on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
The activist suggested that GTEC may be overstepping its mandate, noting it has no authority to judge professorial titles conferred in other jurisdictions.
“Nowhere does the law empower it to sit in judgment on professorial titles, especially when those titles are conferred by universities outside Ghana. And for good reason.
“At the heart of this debate is a very simple truth: there is no single international system for comparing professorships. In the United States, both tenure-track and non-tenure-track appointments are addressed as ‘Professor.’ In the UK, ‘Professor’ is reserved for the most senior appointments. In France or South Africa, the terminology differs again. These are local traditions, not global rules. To suggest that GTEC can apply a universal test is not just wrong, it misinforms the public.
“It is one thing to have never been appointed a professor at all. But it is entirely different, and dangerous, for a regulator to pretend that an international standard exists when it does not. Even within the same country, the distinction between tenure-track and non-tenure-track has nothing to do with whether a person is addressed as ‘Professor.’ GTEC’s claim to the contrary is uninformed,” he added.
Throwback: Dr Ayensu-Danquah explains her professorship during her vetting
Barker-Vormawor cautioned GTEC against actions that could harm its reputation and the academic system it oversees.
“… Ghana deserves a regulator that acts with rigour, transparency, and fairness. If GTEC continues to stretch its mandate, operate without clear standards, and chase headlines instead of doing its job, it will damage not only its own reputation but also the very system it was created to protect,” he stressed.
Read his full post below:
MAG/AE
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