A lecturer at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Hardi Shahadu, has petitioned the Board of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), accusing some senior officials of abusing administrative procedures in a dispute over his academic rank.
In a petition addressed to the Chairman of the GTEC Board, Mahama Duwiejua, Mr. Shahadu alleged that the Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, the Deputy Director-General, Augustine Ocloo, and the Director of Finance, Frank Nketiah, selectively applied regulatory authority in handling issues related to his appointment.
Mr. Shahadu, who lectures in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at UDS, said the Commission directed the University on March 5, 2026, to strip him of his rank as Lecturer and revert him to Assistant Lecturer with immediate effect.
He further claimed that four days later, on March 9, the Commission wrote directly to the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to reverse his salary before the University had responded to the Commission’s earlier directive.
In the petition, Mr. Shahadu accused the officials of abuse of administrative procedures, violation of natural justice, and selective application of regulatory authority in a matter he described as an unlawful demotion and attempted salary reversal.
According to him, the directive contradicts an earlier evaluation by GTEC of his Master of Science degree in Media, Communication and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
He said the Commission assessed the programme in October 2021 and concluded that its research component was adequate and qualified as a research degree.
Mr. Shahadu also alleged that throughout the process leading to the directive, he was not informed of the proceedings, copied in any correspondence, or given the opportunity to respond, which he described as a breach of the principles of natural justice.
The petition further raises concerns about what he described as selective treatment in how GTEC handled a petition filed against him compared with a counter-petition he submitted against his Head of Department, Seth Mahama Sayibu, whom he accused of having a personal relationship with the Commission’s Director-General.
Meanwhile, reports indicate that the Vice-Chancellor of UDS, Professor Seidu Al-hassan, has written to GTEC defending Mr. Shahadu’s appointment. According to the statement cited, the Vice-Chancellor argued that reverting him to the rank of Assistant Lecturer would breach the terms of his employment contract.
Mr. Shahadu has indicated that he may seek legal redress, including judicial review, if the matter is not resolved.
The petition has been copied to several institutions, including the Office of the President, the Ministry of Education, the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Auditor-General, and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department.
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