Chief Justice Backs GTEC’s Crackdown on Fake Academic Titles
The Chief Justice, Justice Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, has publicly expressed strong support for the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Jinapor, and his team for their ongoing efforts to sanitise Ghana’s tertiary education sector.
Speaking during a courtesy visit to the GTEC office in Accra, the Chief Justice commended the commission for what he described as a necessary and timely exercise aimed at restoring integrity to the country’s higher education space. He encouraged the GTEC leadership to remain resolute, even in the face of public criticism. “This sanitisation exercise you are undertaking is a good one,” Justice Baffoe-Bonnie said. “Even if you do not hear open support from the public, you should know that many people silently support what you are doing. So, you must continue.”
The visit also served as an opportunity for the Chief Justice to formally introduce himself and key members of his team to the GTEC management, as well as to engage in discussions on matters relating to legal education in Ghana. He was accompanied by the Judicial Secretary, Musah Ahmed; the Acting Director of the Ghana Law School, Professor Raymond A. Atuguba; and other officials from the Chief Justice’s Secretariat.
Reflecting on his upbringing in Goaso, Justice Baffoe-Bonnie noted that academic titles such as “Professor” were once rare and highly respected. He expressed concern that academic and professional titles had now become overly common and, in some cases, unearned. “But now, everybody is a professor, everybody is a doctor,” he remarked, urging GTEC to remain firm in its clean-up exercise. Drawing parallels with his time in Nigeria, he said Ghana appeared to be experiencing an even worse situation than what he observed there, where many people assumed prestigious titles without merit.
In response, Professor Jinapor expressed appreciation for the visit, describing it as historic. He stated that neither GTEC nor its predecessor institutions, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and the National Council of Tertiary Education (NCTE), had previously hosted a sitting Chief Justice.
He assured Justice Baffoe-Bonnie of GTEC’s readiness to collaborate closely with the judiciary, particularly in reforming legal education to ensure it is done properly and transparently.
On the issue of fake academic credentials, Prof. Jinapor warned that the problem extended beyond fake PhD holders to include fake professors. He revealed that investigations had also uncovered troubling issues within the legal profession, where some individuals allegedly lacked the basic qualifications required to pursue law but were nonetheless called to the Bar.
He said once investigations are completed, the findings would be forwarded to the appropriate legal authorities for further action, stressing that Ghana cannot afford a compromised legal or educational system.
