By Adnan Adams Mohammed
In a fierce regulatory assault aimed at crushing academic lawlessness, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has effectively dropped a bomb on the country’s higher education sector.
Moving with aggressive execution, the state’s tertiary watchdog has publicly blacklisted 15 regional learning hubs operated by premier public universities and unmasked 36 institutions running illicitly on expired institutional accreditation.
The commission issued an uncompromising ultimatum to the public, warning that degrees obtained from these unapproved educational minefields are legally worthless and will be outright rejected for employment, state placement, or career promotion.
Premier Universities Under Fire for Unaccredited Off-Campuses
To the shock of the academic community, the list of unaccredited learning hubs includes regional operations of top-tier public institutions that have continued to enroll students without securing the required regulatory clearance.
The blacklisted list is heavily dominated by the University of Ghana (UG), which has seven of its regional learning centres flagged for operating completely outside the regulatory framework. The University for Development Studies (UDS), the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), and Takoradi Technical University are also caught in the regulatory dragnet.
Affected Public University Learning Centres/Campuses (GTEC Flagged)
University of Ghana (UG): Learning Centres in Koforidua, Cape Coast, Tamale, Ho/Tsito, Wa, Bolgatanga, and Sunyani.
University of Education, Winneba (UEW): Satellite centres at Jayee University College (Accra) and St. Theresa’s College (Anaji-Takoradi).
University for Development Studies (UDS): Learning Centres in Wa and Chereponi.
Takoradi Technical University (TTU): Akatakyi and Butumagyebi campuses.
Methodist University Ghana: Tema and Wenchi campuses.
36 Institutions Running on Expired Accreditation
Beyond the unaccredited public university satellite campuses, GTEC turned its focus to 36 private and specialized tertiary institutions that have allowed their structural institutional accreditation to lapse, rendering their current operations illegal under state guidelines.
Among the prominent institutions named for carrying expired accreditation are Abbeam Institute of Technology, Lakeside University College, Zenith University College, Jayee University College, Unique Citizens College, and the Institute of Local Government Studies. Specialized medical and nursing schools were also flagged, including Kings and Queens Medical College and Royal Nursing College.
GTEC clarified that while some of these schools may have once held valid credentials, running an institution on expired papers violates quality assurance baselines and misleads the public.
Look Before You Leap: A Warning to Applicants
With the admissions season for the upcoming academic year in full swing, GTEC’s Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, has strongly urged applicants to bypass promotional brochures and verify the active legal status of any institution, specific campus, or degree program directly with the commission.
The regulatory body stressed that the state will not compromise on quality control, and public universities must lead by example by subjecting their distance learning and regional infrastructure to strict legal oversight.
