The Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has publicly rejected a two-week ultimatum from the lawyers of Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, regarding her use of the ‘Professor’ title.
Speaking on the Midday News on Joy FM, Prof. Jinapor accused the lawyers of providing poor advice, which he believes has exacerbated the controversy.
The dispute stems from conflicting claims about Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s academic rank.
According to Prof. Jinapor, a clear “chronology of events” shows a pattern of inconsistency from the Deputy Minister’s camp.
“The Honourable Deputy Minister of Health, an MP, said on national TV that she is a full professor from the University of Utah, Department of Surgery. That is a statement of fact,” Prof. Jinapor stated.
He then presented GTEC’s findings, which contradict this claim. “Her lawyers wrote to GTEC and indicated that she is an assistant professor at Utah. The University of Utah wrote to GTEC and indicated that she is an adjunct assistant professor.”
Prof. Jinapor revealed that GTEC had attempted to resolve the issue privately with Dr. Ayensu-Danquah before the matter escalated.
“When it comes to this issue, we gave the Honourable Minister the opportunity to meet the Board Chairman of GTEC at the place of her convenience and the time of her choice,” he explained. The meeting was intended to persuade her to stop using the unearned title. “She didn’t heed to that,” Prof. Jinapor added.
As a result, he questioned the lawyers’ recent ultimatum demanding a retraction from GTEC.
“We don’t know what they are asking us to retract,” he said. He further argued that the lawyers’ actions have not been helpful to her cause. “If I’m advising her, I think the lawyers need to be fired,” he asserted.
The GTEC Director-General reiterated that the commission’s interest is not to target any individual but to ensure academic integrity.
“As a matter of fact, as we speak, she has not been able to provide us with a document that points to her appointment, whatever rank, whether a full professor, an assistant professor, or an adjunct professor,” Prof. Jinapor stated. He emphasised that without an official appointment letter, the “confusion continues”.
He concluded that the difference between the ranks is clear, and the University of Utah’s own letter confirms that Dr. Ayensu-Danquah holds the rank of an adjunct assistant professor, a role distinct from a tenured position.
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