Lawyers representing Professor Philip Duku Osei, the Vice-Chancellor of SD-Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS), have issued a strong response to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) after their client was directed to retire upon reaching the compulsory retirement age of sixty.
In a statement released on January 4, 2024, GTEC notified Prof. Osei of the compulsory retirement age and instructed him to hand over his duties to the Pro-Vice Chancellor until the appointment of a substantive Vice-Chancellor.
However, Prof. Osei's legal team has contested the directive, asserting that GTEC overstepped its authority by interfering in the retirement process.
The lawyers argue that the university, UBIDS, was fully aware of Prof. Osei's age at the time of his appointment, with clear terms specifying the duration of his tenure.
In a letter addressed to GTEC, the legal team emphasized, “The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) is not the appointing authority that appointed Our Client as the Vice-Chancellor of UBIDS and therefore has no authority or capacity or locus on the matter of the retirement of Our Client.”
The lawyers further highlighted that UBIDS, in a letter dated June 9, 2022, explicitly stated that Prof. Osei's appointment would conclude on August 31, 2024, making the GTEC's directive unconstitutional.
The legal team has given GTEC a ten-working-day ultimatum to rescind its retirement directive.
The letter warned, “TAKE NOTICE AND BE HEREBY NOTIFIED that if and when within Ten (10) working days of receipt of this letter, inclusive of the day it is received, you refuse/fail/neglect/elect not to revoke your letter of 4th January 2024, we are under further instruction to proceed to court to have you compelled to do so.”
