In recent weeks, Ghana’s regulator of tertiary education, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), has raised both academic and public discourse through a wave of media headlines, highlighting the growing misuse of academic titles such as “Dr.” and “Prof.”
From GTEC firing back at abusers to university Vice-Chancellors and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) backing a system-wide purge, the message has been clear: the academic space is under siege by title fraud.
This crisis not only undermines the integrity of Ghana’s higher education system but also erodes public trust in genuine academic credentials. It is, however, essential to distinguish between the title “Dr.”, which one earns after graduating with a Ph.D. or equivalent degrees, and “Prof.”, which is a rank in the promotion rungs among universities.
The use of academic titles or ranks is not just ceremonial; it is a recognition of rigorous scholarly work, mentorship, and years of peer-reviewed research, teaching, and outreach.
As such, when specific individuals parade unearned titles, especially the coveted “Dr.” and “Prof.”, they adulterate the arduous journey of academic pursuit, achievement, and merit.
Worse, they often use such titles to gain social respect, employment advantages, or political clout, which can have profound implications for institutional credibility and on-the-job performance.
How did we get here?
At the centre of this phenomenon are a few interconnected factors. First, the rate of credentialization has been rapid in recent years. While this is not a bad thing, we face the challenge of credentialism, where individuals prioritise certificates and degrees over the actual attainment of skills.
Credentialism is associated with the rising societal pressure that places a premium on titles as a proxy for competence and social status. In Ghana, titles often command obsequiousness, perhaps sophistication, and open doors that may have remained closed hitherto. Second is the increasing presence and operation of several unaccredited institutions, commonly referred to as diploma or degree mills, which lure unsuspecting or desperate individuals with dubious honorary degrees. Some of these individuals pay vast sums of money just to satisfy their craving for credentialism.
The other factor is a lax regulatory environment, which previously did not prioritise verification of academic 10:47:45credentials. Other stakeholders, including employers, media houses, and even educational institutions themselves, have previously not taken credential verification seriously.
Facing the problem head-on
While civil means and name-and-shame actions by GTEC are ongoing, the way forward must embrace multiple and complementary measures, including a policy framework, public education, and institutional vigilance. The following are summarised practical strategies for addressing the abuse of academic titles in Ghana:
1. Establish a Central Academic Titles Registry
GTEC must strengthen its relationship with all institutions in the tertiary education landscape and professional bodies to develop a national registry of all recognised academic titles. The registry must contain regional and district-level information on individuals and their titles. This database would facilitate the verification of all PhDs conferred and professorial appointments from accredited institutions, both local and international. Such a registry would serve employers, media houses, and the public in verifying the authenticity of any claimed academic title or rank.
2. Introduce Sanctions and Legal Enforcement
Laws govern the academic enterprise; hence, individuals who abuse academic titles must face legal repercussions. By the powers in the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), GTEC is empowered to exercise, among other things, regulatory authority over institutions in the tertiary education landscape. Ghana’s legal system must also help in this regard by criminalizing the impersonation of academic titles or ranks, providing clauses for fines, public retraction, or prosecution.
3. Public Education! Public Education! Public Education!
The narratives of some individuals who have earned dubious degrees show that many people remain oblivious of diploma or degree mills. There is a widespread misunderstanding among some people regarding the distinction between a PhD, which is a degree, and a professorship, which is a rank. Educating the public requires concerted efforts among universities, GTEC, and the media, primarily to inform the public about degree mills, academic titles, ranks, and the genuine attainment of credentials. Explaining the differences between earned doctorates, honorary degrees, and academic ranks will further reduce the likelihood of society glorifying fake or unearned academic credentials.
Furthermore, institutions conferring honorary degrees must clearly label them as “honorary” (honoris causa or ad honorem), meaning awarded without academic requirements. Recipients must refrain from using “Dr.” in professional contexts unless they also hold an earned doctorate. GTEC should also issue clear guidelines to all higher education institutions on the protocol for awarding and using honorary titles, and any breach should attract sanctions for both the recipient and the awarding institution.
5. Strengthen Internal Quality Assurance and University Governance
Universities must ensure that professorial titles are only conferred through rigorous internal peer-review processes and not as honorary gestures or political rewards. Internal auditing of academic promotions, perhaps through independent external assessments, could help safeguard the integrity of professorial appointments.
6. Media Responsibility
The media can play a significant role in curbing title abuse in Ghana. All media houses must fact-check academic titles before publication or broadcast. The media’s role must include creating editorial policies that require title verification from official sources, such as GTEC or the university registry, which will reduce the public platform available to fraudulent titleholders.
South Africa demonstrates that fact-checking academic titles is effective in some jurisdictions. While opening a bank account in South Africa, the bank requested a copy of my Ph.D. certificate for verification before approving the title ‘Dr.’ for their records, including the issuing name on an ATM card.
Reclaiming Academic Integrity: Where do we go from here?
Recent actions by GTEC against the abuse of academic titles in Ghana represent a bold step to restore academic dignity and institutional trust, while curbing the growing phenomenon of credentialism. Such actions are not an attack on or a witch hunt of any individual. Instead, it is a step to preserve the sanctity of scholarly achievement and ensure that those who bear academic titles have earned them through merit and academic due process. To protect its future, Ghana must take decisive action to address the growing phenomenon of academic title fraud. The time to reclaim the integrity of our intellectual and educational space is NOW!
The writer is a Deputy Registrar and urban planning academic with experience in university governance, quality assurance, strategic planning, and institutional process improvement.
Email: [email protected]
Opinions shared in this op-ed article are mine and do not represent those of my employers.
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