The Adentan High Court in Accra has set aside a directive issued by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) that sought to invalidate qualifications obtained from the Universidad Empresarial de Costa Rica (UNEM) for academic and professional purposes within Ghana’s tertiary education sector.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Kwame Gyamfi, declared the directive unlawful and restrained GTEC from enforcing it against affected degree holders.
The directive, issued on November 5, 2025, instructed public tertiary institutions not to recognize UNEM qualifications for teaching, appointments, promotions, or related academic purposes. The move generated concern among academics and professionals who had obtained doctoral degrees from the institution.
The case was brought before the court by a group of university academics and professionals who argued that GTEC’s directive adversely affected their academic qualifications and career progression.
Represented by lawyer Solomon Faakye, the applicants contended that GTEC acted unlawfully by retrospectively invalidating qualifications that had already been recognized and used for appointments, promotions, teaching, and other professional purposes. They further argued that the Commission failed to follow the legal procedures governing the suspension or withdrawal of accreditation and recognition.
The applicants also maintained that the directive breached principles of natural justice, fairness, legitimate expectation, and administrative legality.
In its ruling, the court held that statutory bodies such as GTEC must operate strictly within the limits of their legal authority. It found that the directive and the processes leading to its issuance were legally flawed and could not support the adverse consequences imposed on affected degree holders.
The court consequently declared the directive invalid and of no legal effect. It further held that qualifications obtained before the issuance of the directive remain valid and cannot be retrospectively invalidated.
The court also ordered that any adverse decisions taken by tertiary institutions against holders of UNEM qualifications based on the directive be reversed.
The ruling is expected to have significant implications for universities, public institutions, and regulatory bodies involved in appointments, promotions, confirmations, and academic recognition within Ghana’s higher education sector.
The decision comes against the backdrop of GTEC’s broader efforts to regulate academic qualifications and address concerns over unaccredited institutions, questionable foreign qualifications, and the misuse of honorary titles.
By Peter Quao Adattor/paqmediagh
