The University Teachers Association of Ghana, University of Cape Coast branch (UTAG-UCC), has called for calm and constructive dialogue following the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission’s (GTEC) suspension of several key requests from UCC.
Dr. Jerry Opoku-Ansah, President of UTAG-UCC, said the union is unhappy with the move but believes mediation offers the best path to resolving the dispute.
GTEC, in a letter dated September 22, 2025, announced the suspension of accreditation processes, government subventions, GETFund support, research and book allowances, post-retirement contracts, financial clearances, and recruitment at UCC.
The decision stems from UCC’s handling of the tenure of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Johnson Nyarko Boampong, who GTEC says has remained in office beyond the statutory retirement age. The Commission has directed compliance with its orders while the matter is contested in court.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, September 23, Dr. Opoku-Ansah said members of the association were troubled by the announcement but urged restraint.
“Those requests that GTEC says they are not going to honour them, that is our worry… members are very clear in their minds they’re very unhappy about that development. But they also proffer that in issues like these cool heads should prevail. We need dialogue and mediation in whatever they need so that we can have an amicable solution ensuing on our campus,” he said.
Meanwhile, lawyers for Prof. Boampong have rejected GTEC’s directive, demanding in a September 19, 2025 letter that the Commission withdraw its instructions. They argue the order is unlawful and contemptuous of an existing court ruling.
The legal team insists that constitutional provisions, UCC’s rollover policy, and university statutes support the Vice-Chancellor’s continued stay in office, accusing GTEC of disregarding both the law and institutional processes.
