{"id":103156,"date":"2025-11-13T17:28:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T17:28:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=103156"},"modified":"2025-11-13T17:28:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T17:28:59","slug":"nacca-deputy-director-general-defies-gtec-directive-insists-his-doctorate-is-valid-and-lawfully-earned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=103156","title":{"rendered":"NaCCA Deputy Director-General defies GTEC directive, insists his doctorate is valid and lawfully earned"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>3 Minute, 11 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>
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The Acting Deputy Director-General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA), Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam, has rejected a directive from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to stop using his academic title \u201cDr.\u201d, arguing that his doctoral qualification from the Swiss Management Centre (SMC) University remains valid and legally recognised.<\/p>\n

In a detailed response dated November 11, Mr. Ayam said he would continue to use the title until a competent court rules otherwise.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccordingly, and until a court of competent jurisdiction rules otherwise, I am unable to comply with the Commission\u2019s directive,\u201d he stated. \u201cI shall, in good faith and consistent with NAB\u2019s 2020 affirmation, continue to use the academic title \u2018Dr.\u2019 \u2014 a title reflecting a validly earned, lawfully conferred, and previously recognised doctoral qualification.\u201d<\/p>\n

He maintained that his degree was properly obtained and had earlier been recognised by Ghana\u2019s former regulatory body, the National Accreditation Board (NAB), before it was merged into GTEC.<\/p>\n

Mr Ayam said his position was grounded in fairness, legality, and due process. \u201cI wish to respond respectfully yet firmly, guided by the principles of administrative fairness, consistency, legality, and due process as enshrined under the Education Regulatory Bodies Act, 2020 (Act 1023),\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

He questioned GTEC\u2019s consistency, pointing out that the Commission had only recently validated a similar SMC doctoral credential. <\/p>\n

\u201cGTEC, under your leadership, has previously issued a formal attestation validating a similar SMC doctoral credential awarded to Mr Kingsley Kwesi Kwabahson,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt is therefore procedurally inconsistent and administratively untenable for GTEC to now declare that all certificates issued by SMC are invalid.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Ayam also dismissed GTEC\u2019s suggestion that the difference between \u201cDoctorate of Business Administration\u201d and \u201cDoctor of Business Administration\u201d had any bearing on the validity of his qualification.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe attempt to distinguish between the two is academically misconceived and linguistically unfounded,\u201d he argued. \u201cThe two expressions are semantically and functionally interchangeable within global higher education practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Addressing what GTEC described as \u201cirregularities\u201d in his transcript, he explained that SMC operates under the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), which differs from Ghana\u2019s credit system. <\/p>\n

\u201cTotals exceeding 600 credits are both standard and valid under that framework,\u201d he said, adding that the grading format and thesis coding on his transcript followed international norms and could not be considered fraudulent or inaccurate.<\/p>\n

READ ALSO: GTEC directs NaCCA Deputy Director-General to cease using invalid SMC \u2018Dr\u2019 title<\/p>\n

On the use of the names \u201cSwiss Management Centre\u201d and \u201cSMC University\u201d, he said both referred to the same institution. \u201cThe use of both names interchangeably in documentation reflects legitimate institutional evolution, not inconsistency or fraud,\u201d he clarified.<\/p>\n

Mr Ayam further reminded GTEC that NAB had previously stated in a 2020 notice that all students who enrolled at SMC before 31 August 2018 possessed valid and recognised qualifications, unless proven otherwise.<\/p>\n

He therefore requested that GTEC disclose any expert committee reports or official resolutions that may have overturned NAB\u2019s earlier recognition. \u201cIn the absence of such disclosure, the current directive may be deemed arbitrary, ultra vires, and contrary to the doctrine of legitimate expectation recognised under Ghanaian law,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Citing Section 70(1) of Act 1023, Mr Ayam concluded that GTEC has no legal authority to retroactively invalidate academic qualifications that were lawfully earned under a previously competent regulatory body. \u201cNo provision within Act 1023 confers upon the Commission the power to unilaterally invalidate academic credentials retrospectively without due statutory process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He reaffirmed his readiness to cooperate with GTEC but insisted on defending his rights. \u201cI remain committed to cooperating with the Commission in the spirit of transparency, fairness, and respect for institutional integrity, while reserving all legal rights and remedies available to me under Ghanaian law,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n