Government has served notice it will soon implement, to the letter a policy that requires only lecturers with doctorate degrees teach in public universities in the country.

At the meet the press event, Tuesday, Education Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh said the move is to ensure that qualified persons teach in the universities.

He has however given lecturers in the universities who are yet to acquire a doctorate degree to do so.

“Now if you don’t hold a Ph.D. and very soon a Ph.D. plus a certificate in Education you will not be able to teach in the university,” he said.

“Most of our College of University lecturers don’t hold the Ph.D. So we have given them time to improve their knowledge and to help improve their capacity,” he added.

He challenged lecturers who fall within that category to take advantage of any opportunity to improve upon their capacity.

“Every capacity improvement will inure to the benefit of Ghanaian school children to improve their learning outcomes.

He did not understand why in Finland Ph.D. holders teach pupils in kindergarten and primary schools yet in Ghana diploma students teach similar grades.

The standard of education of teachers who lecture at all levels in the country’s educational institutions has become a source of worry.

There has been a perception that students turn to teaching profession when they are unable to get admission into the university to pursue courses linked to their dream careers.

Some of the lecturers in the university are also said to be holding only Masters and M.Phil. Qualifications.

The Education Minister said things will change and it will affect every level of education.

“That is why the government took the position that everybody who wants to teach in this country should at least have a degree,” he said.

He added that even though such a decision will have an impact on the government’s budget they are more interested in the churning out better learning outcomes than the “budget governments have been pinching.”

President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana Dr. Eric Opoku Mensah has fully backed the government’s decision.

Speaking to Joy News’ Emefa Apawu, the UTAG president said what the minister is seeking to do is a requirement that has been established already except the commitment to implement it.

Explaining why non-PhD holders are teaching in the universities, Dr. Opoku Mensah said in some areas of study, a university may not have a qualified person to teach a particular course and so they are forced to move lower into Mphil or Masters level in order to get people to teach.

He was however unequivocal that the policy to have only lecturers with Ph.D. at the university level is an international norm.