GTEC has warned universities against admitting more PhD students than they can support, saying growth in numbers must never outpace capacity or weaken quality.

Published 1 Nov 2026, 09:03 GMT

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GTEC warns universities against over-enrolling PhD students

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The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has warned universities against admitting more doctoral students than they can properly support, cautioning that the practice could erode the quality and credibility of PhD education in the country.

The Director-General of GTEC, Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, gave the warning at the graduation ceremony of the African University of Communication and Business (AUCB) in Accra on Saturday, 31 October 2026, where 350 students graduated. They comprised 206 undergraduates and 144 postgraduates.

Capacity before numbers

Professor Jinapor stressed that doctoral education was essential for producing future researchers, lecturers, and policy thinkers, but universities must not allow the drive to increase enrolment to compromise academic standards.

He said any expansion of doctoral programmes had to be matched by enough qualified supervisors, research facilities, library resources, and funding to guarantee effective supervision and quality research.

“Growth in numbers must never outpace capacity,” he said.

According to him, a doctorate demands years of rigorous study, original research, and examination, and should not be treated as a commercial product. He urged universities, particularly newly chartered ones, to ensure that doctoral admissions reflect their actual capacity, insisting that quality rather than quantity must guide postgraduate education.

Turning to the role of technology, the GTEC boss said universities must adapt their teaching and research to prepare graduates for an increasingly technology-driven economy. He cited artificial intelligence, automation, big data, digital platforms, and cybersecurity as areas reshaping professional and economic activity.

He acknowledged that online, blended, and distance learning could widen access to tertiary education, but cautioned that digital delivery must not become a route to lower standards. Online degrees, he said, must carry the same value as qualifications earned on campus, which would require accredited programmes, qualified faculty, reliable digital platforms, credible assessment systems, and adequate learner support.

To the graduates, he also urged lifelong learning and the ability to work with emerging technologies without sacrificing independent thinking, integrity, and sound judgement.

“Do not compete with technology. Learn to work intelligently with technology,” he said.

Unaccredited institutions

Professor Jinapor further disclosed that GTEC had intensified public education on recognised institutions and accredited learning centres across the country to protect prospective students from enrolling in unaccredited programmes.

He said the Commission published a public notice in July 2026 on 15 unaccredited learning centres and institutions whose institutional accreditation had expired. An updated list of 110 unrecognised institutions followed in September 2026.

The graduation ceremony was held on the theme “Transforming Higher Education for a Resilient Nation: Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Development.”

The university’s Overall Best Graduating Student, Barbara Kafui Abram of the Faculty of Strategic Communication, urged fellow graduates not to let past academic setbacks discourage their ambitions. Drawing on an earlier unsuccessful attempt at tertiary education, she said perseverance and the willingness to start again were central to her eventual achievement.

“Never be ashamed of starting again. Starting again is not a failure. It is the courage to pursue a better ending,” she said.

Source: GNA

Publishing DeskThe Publishing Desk at Media General Digital can be reached at editorial@mg.com.gh

GTEC Warns Universities: Do Not Admit PhD Students You Cannot Supervise

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