Dr Jerry Joe Harrison, the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG-UG), has said Ghanaian universities are losing out on highly qualified academics like PhD holders due to poor remuneration.
The UTAG-UG President stressed that the low remuneration being offered to lecturers was making academic careers less attractive to professionals in specialised fields.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, Dr Jerry Joe Harrison stated, “If you are being paid, you know, the kind of money that lecturers are being paid, which lawyer would want to leave their law practice, go pursue a PhD, and then come back to the classroom and come and teach?”
He further admitted that universities must strive to recruit highly qualified faculty but cautioned that rigid requirements could make it difficult to fill vacancies in disciplines where PhD holders are scarce.
The UTAG-UG president warned that professional experience should also be recognised as a source of expertise, specifically in fields where practitioners may be unwilling to leave rewarding professional careers for academia.
According to UTAG, recruitment of academic staff should remain the responsibility of individual institutions and their academic and governance structures.
He argued that if GTEC’s concern is that universities are struggling to find qualified academics, they should help institutions develop the capacity to produce more PhD holders.
“As an advisor, if an institution is having difficulty recruiting, you could easily help the institution to set up a PhD programme, through which they can channel people who can then come back and help the institution,” he said.
He further argued that GTEC should focus on its regulatory and advisory responsibilities rather than taking over the recruitment of academic staff.
“We must be guided by the requirements, we must be guided by the availability, we must be guided by the quality of the people that we are receiving,” he added.
The development comes on the heels of UTAG-UG’s criticism of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) over its decision to advertise faculty positions for various public higher education institutions.
In other related education news, Haruna Iddrisu, the Minister of Education, has said the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service (GES) are working in collaboration to improve the welfare, motivation and retention of teachers.
According to Haruna Iddrisu, the new measures are particularly for those in rural and deprived communities, adding that Teacher welfare is a national priority.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on July 2, 2026, Haruna Iddrisu said, “The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ghana Education Service, is implementing a number of targeted strategies to improve the welfare, motivation and retention of teachers across the country, particularly those posted to rural and underserved areas.”
“Teacher welfare is positioned as a national priority to strengthen their motivation, dignity and retention, and for long-term education outcome gains. As part of government efforts to attract, motivate and retain teachers in deprived and underserved communities, special incentives have been put in place for teachers who are self-posting to such areas,” he stated.
The Education Minister added, “I am happy to note that one of these incentives is a reduction in the number of years required to qualify for study leave. Originally, it was three years if you were in a deprived area. We have reduced it now to two years. So any person who is self-posting to a rural deprived area after two years of service can apply for study leave with pay”.
“We are also engaged in continuous education and capacity building of teachers across the country. In addition, the government is committed to rolling out a 20 per cent salary-related rural posting allowance for teachers serving in rural and deprived areas. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education are working on implementing that. A significant thing that affects the welfare of teachers is their shelter housing.”
Haruna Iddrisu added, “A significant thing that affects the welfare of teachers is their shelter housing. We are currently engaging in some discussion to deploy the Teacher Dabre Initiative of President Mahama, which was in the NDC manifesto, which will provide accommodation for teachers in rural areas to address the housing challenges that affect teacher deployment and retention in those areas”.
“Under this initiative, deliberate measures are being taken to ensure that the construction of new school facilities is accompanied by teacher accommodation. So this time we have directed that if contracts are awarded for school blocks, they must naturally include accommodation facilities for teachers,” he added.
@ghnow_ Amobilah Richard, also known as “Sim 1,” who has been sentenced to a fine of GH¢3,600 or, in default, two years’ imprisonment over the theft of a colleague driver’s GH¢5,100, Kalypo and three cans of malt. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – Heavy Rhyme Spitters
@ghnow_ Alleged leaked audio of Nana B condemning Bawumia, endorsing Ken Agyapong #GHNow #fyp ♬ EpicSymphony – mosn
