The Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has cautioned tertiary institutions against admitting large numbers of PhD students without adequate supervision and resources, just for financial gain.
He said some universities are treating doctoral degrees as commercial products: admitting many candidates without qualified supervisors, research infrastructure, library resources and funding.
Speaking during the 23rd graduation ceremony of the African University of Communication and Business (AUCB) in Accra, he warned that the practice is affecting quality.
“When one supervisor carries too many candidates, supervision suffers, completion is delayed and the quality of research declines,” Prof. Jinapor noted.
“A doctorate represents years of rigorous study, original research and examination and it must not be treated as a commercial product. Quality, not quantity, must define doctoral education in Ghana,” he stressed.
He urged all institutions, including newly chartered ones, to align doctoral admissions with their genuine capacity.
Prof. Jinapor also reminded the public that the value of a university qualification depends on the credibility of the institution, adding that GTEC has published lists of unaccredited centres and 110 unrecognized institutions to protect the public from losing money, time and opportunities.
