The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has rejected an appeal by the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), to retain two Pro-Vice-Chancellors.

The Commission has recommended that the university declare the position of Pro Vice Chancellor vacant and advertise for interested and qualified candidates to apply.

The Governing Council had, in June 2024, appointed two senior faculty members as Pro-Vice-Chancellors of the university.

They are Professor Emmanuel Selase Asamoah, as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs, and Professor Samuel Antwi, as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Transfer.

Both appointments took effect on January 1, 2025.

The two appointments had been flagged as a breach of Section 17(1) of the University of Professional Studies Act, 2012 (Act 850), which states that “The Council shall appoint a Pro-Vice-Chancellor in accordance with the statutes of the University” and not two Pro-Vice-Chancellors.

When this was raised, UPSA appealed to the Ministry of Education for the two appointees to be allowed to stay in office until the expiration of their tenure and copied GTEC on the letter of appeal.

But in a response letter dated October 16, 2025, and signed by Director-General Professor Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, GTEC stated that UPSA’s attempt to extend the tenure of the two officials breached several legal provisions. The letter was addressed to the Chairman of the UPSA Governing Council.

GTEC cited the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023), which requires tertiary institutions to seek approval before creating any position that imposes financial obligations on the state.

It said, “The institution [UPSA] not only failed to seek clearance from GTEC as required by law but also appointed these two persons in conflict with its own Statutes, making such an action illegal.”

It added that the existing legal position provides for only one Pro-Vice-Chancellor to be appointed by the university.

GTEC referred to Regulation 7.0 of the UPSA Statutes, which states that “There shall be a Pro-Vice-Chancellor appointed by the Council in accordance with the provisions of the Act and the Statutes.”

It also cited Section 17(1) of the University of Professional Studies Act, 2012 (Act 850), which states that “The Council shall appoint a Pro-Vice-Chancellor in accordance with the statutes of the University.”

The Commission noted that under Public Service Commission (PSC) regulations, an appointment may be terminated after 60 days’ notice if there are valid reasons, adding that no such reasons had been presented in this case.

“By this letter, the Commission recommends that the position of Pro-Vice-Chancellor be declared vacant and advertised for interested and qualified candidates to apply,” the directive said.

GTEC also cautioned UPSA against using Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to maintain such offices. It warned that any future revision of the university’s statutes must align with existing national laws and regulations.

The appointments made in June 2024 followed a Special Council meeting held on June 7, 2024.

At the time, Professor Asamoah, who was Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Studies, was to oversee academic programmes and student affairs.

Professor Antwi, who had served as Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, became the first to hold a role dedicated to research, innovation, and knowledge transfer.

The matter arose from a letter dated October 8, 2025, in which UPSA sought permission to retain the two Pro-Vice-Chancellors until the end of their tenure.