The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has advised the President of the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), Dr Joseph Obeng to furnish it with information on how he acquired the doctorate title with which he is referred to in public.
GTEC says if he fails to do so, they will be compelled to invoke their mandate.
“The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission has noted your continuous use of the title ‘doctor’, i.e., Dr. Joseph Obeng. The Commission would like to know the process, the time. and which institution awarded you the doctorate title,” part of a letter dated May 14 Dr Obeng and signed by the Deputy Director-General of GTEC, Prof Augustine Ocloo, reads.
“For clarity, the Commission expresses its deep concern regarding the increasing prevalence of honorary doctorates such as yours that are conferred upon individuals by various institutions, both in Ghana and abroad. The appropriation of these honorary titles, of any recipient, name is deemed unethical and contravenes several provisions of the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), as well as other pertinent laws governing higher education in Ghana,” GTEC further noted.
“In light of this, the Commission requests that you exercise personal responsibility regarding this issue and refrain from using the honorary title ‘doctor’ – Dr – as part of your name. Please be informed that should the directive from the Commission be disregarded, the Commission reserves the right to invoke its regulatory functions to sanction you,” Prof Ocloo warned.
When contacted by 3news for his comment on the content of letter, Dr Joseph Obeng said, “I will respond appropriately.”
