Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has directed the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to withdraw two letters it issued in late 2025 on post-retirement contracts for senior academic staff in public universities, in a move that signals the government stepping back to allow broader consultation with the academic community.
The directive, confirmed in a press statement signed by the Minister’s Press Secretary Hashmin Mohammed on Monday, April 27, covers letters dated September 30 and October 1, 2025, which had addressed the engagement of Academic Senior Members beyond retirement age. The withdrawal is described as temporary, pending fresh engagement with key stakeholders across the tertiary education sector.
The decision followed a meeting between the minister and leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), which has been locked in a deepening dispute with GTEC over what it describes as a pattern of regulatory overreach and unilateral directives affecting university governance and academic staff conditions.
The Ministry framed the withdrawal as part of its commitment to an open policy process. “Any policy direction in this regard reflects broad consensus, promotes institutional sustainability, and serves the best interests of Ghana’s tertiary education sector,” the statement said.
The concession comes at a critical juncture in the GTEC-UTAG standoff. UTAG submitted a petition to the presidency in February 2026 raising concerns about GTEC’s conduct, and escalated on April 13 by issuing a 14-day ultimatum demanding the removal of GTEC Director-General Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai and his deputy. In response, Iddrisu constituted a three-member committee chaired by Deputy Minister Clement Apaak to probe the allegations and advise government.
The withdrawal of the post-retirement letters represents a second concrete gesture by the ministry in a fortnight, alongside that inquiry process, and comes days after GTEC was also forced to retract a separate directive it had issued over the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor at the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The Ministry of Education said it remains committed to a transparent and inclusive approach and will engage relevant stakeholders before arriving at any final policy position on post-retirement academic engagements.
