UCC Vice-Chancellor rejects GTEC directive to proceed on retirement

Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has rejected a directive from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) instructing him to retire.

The development follows weeks of uncertainty at UCC over the extension of Prof. Boampong’s contract and issues surrounding the statutory retirement age for university administrators.

In a letter dated September 19, 2025, addressed to GTEC and signed by his lawyers, Prof. Boampong stated that he “would ignore the said letter and continue to act in office as directed by the University Statutes and in accordance with the orders of the court.”

GTEC, however, maintains that his tenure has ended. A letter from the Commission, also dated September 19, 2025, signed by Acting Deputy Director-General Prof. Augustine Ocloo on behalf of the Director-General, directed the UCC Pro-Vice Chancellor, Prof. Denis Worlanyo Aheto, to assume the role of acting Vice-Chancellor in the interim.

The letter, copied to eight key officials including the Minister of Education, the Chancellor of UCC and the Chairman of the Governing Council, cited constitutional provisions to back its position.

According to Article 199 (1) of the 1992 Constitution, “A public officer shall, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, retire from the public service on attaining the age of sixty years.”

It further explained that the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, established under Section 7(1) of the University of Cape Coast Act, 1992 (PNDCL 278), qualifies as a public office. Therefore, anyone serving in that capacity is bound to retire compulsorily at 60.

GTEC also referred to Statute 8.2 of the University of Cape Coast Statutes, 2016, which provides that the Vice-Chancellor shall hold office for four years, renewable for a further term of up to three years, provided the renewal does not exceed the statutory retirement age.

Despite the Commission’s directive, Prof. Boampong insists that court orders and internal statutes justify his decision to remain in office, setting up a governance standoff at UCC.