 amid the heated debate over the use of academic titles in the country.){kind=link}
Former Deputy Minister of State at the Presidency, Victoria Bright, has thrown her weight behind the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) amid the heated debate over the use of academic titles in the country.
Her comments follow a standoff between GTEC and Deputy Minister of Health, Dr. Grace Ayensu-Danquah, over her claim to the title of “Professor.” GTEC’s Director-General, Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, has rejected a two-week ultimatum from Dr. Ayensu-Danquah’s lawyers, insisting that her professorial rank is inconsistent and not supported by clear evidence.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, Ms. Bright dismissed suggestions that GTEC’s actions were politically motivated or unfair.
“What GTEC is doing is not a witch hunt. And I don’t understand why people are portraying it as such and calling themselves victims. How are you a victim? If you have the degree, just produce it, end of story,” she said.
According to the former Kufuor-era appointee, the matter goes beyond personal pride and speaks to the very credibility of Ghana’s education system and its global reputation.
“It’s about protecting credibility, fairness, our international reputation as a country. And I just don’t understand why people are trying to defend this and why they are being so difficult and attacking GTEC simply for doing its job,” she added.
Ms. Bright warned of the dangers of allowing fake credentials to fester in society, pointing to cases where individuals without proper qualifications have caused harm in sensitive professions.
“We have fake doctors. I remember reading with horror a story about a doctor who was doing surgeries, and that doctor had zero medical qualifications, so they can kill people. You have people who are calling themselves teachers, who can’t teach anybody, so you are jeopardising that child’s future,” she said.
She argued that such practices, if unchecked, could erode national progress and ruin lives. For her, Ghana must stop “celebrating mediocrity” and instead uphold standards that protect the country’s image.
“If we are serious about resetting our country, then everything that makes us look or that portrays us in a negative light has to be stopped. We’ve done this over and over again, year after year. It’s enough,” she stressed.
Her message was clear: only individuals who have legitimately earned professional and academic titles should use them.
“If you are not a doctor, if you’re not a lawyer, if you’re not a professor, don’t call yourself that. If you want to do it, go through the process and earn it.”