The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has opposed a proposal by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to introduce a standardised promotion system for academic staff across public universities.
In a petition submitted through the UTAG National Secretariat to the Education Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, the association argued that the proposal was developed without adequate consultation with key stakeholders in the tertiary education sector.
UTAG-KNUST questioned the rationale behind GTEC’s push for harmonisation, insisting that variations in promotion criteria among universities reflect their different mandates, governance structures, and academic traditions rather than inconsistencies that require uniform regulation.
The association also challenged the focus on academic staff alone, asking why similar differences in employment conditions across other categories of university personnel were not being addressed under the same policy.
According to UTAG-KNUST, imposing a single promotion framework could undermine institutional autonomy and weaken the unique academic identities of public universities.
Instead, the association urged policymakers to prioritise long-standing challenges in the tertiary sector, including inadequate infrastructure, staffing shortages, and high student-to-lecturer ratios.
It further called for a more strategic classification of universities based on their capacities and mandates, arguing that such an approach would yield more meaningful reforms than standardising promotion procedures.
UTAG-KNUST cited institutions such as the University of Environment and Sustainable Development as examples where urgent investment in resources and staffing is needed.
The association maintained that existing university governance structures already empower governing councils to manage promotions effectively, making additional external standardisation unnecessary.
