NaCCA acting Dep Director General Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam retracts, apologizes and pledges to comply with GTEC directive to stop using ‘invalid SMC Dr’ title

A few days after he threatened to disregard a directive from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to stop using an “invalid Dr” title obtained from the Swiss Management Center (SMC) University from Switzerland, Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam, the Acting Deputy Director-General of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) under the Ministry of Education, has taken a U-turn. In a letter dated November 17, 2025, a copy of which has been seen by Graphic Online, Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam has retracted and apologized for threatening that, unless a court of competent jurisdiction rules otherwise, he was going to continue using the title, which the regulatory body, GTEC, had declared as invalid. “I wish to respectfully retract my earlier position conveyed in prior correspondence regarding the continued use of the title “Dr.” until a court of competent jurisdiction rules otherwise. Upon further reflection and in recognition of the concerns raised, I hereby clarify that my intention was never to disregard regulatory authority or create misunderstanding in the public domain,” Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam stated in the retraction and apology letter seen by Graphic Online and copied to the Minister of Education. “I fully agree to comply with all regulatory directives as communicated, and I regret any inconvenience or unintended implications my earlier statement may have caused. I remain committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and regulatory cooperation going forward,” Mr Ayam added. Others copied in the retraction letter are the Chief Director at the Ministry of Education, the Deputy Minister for Education, the Board Chair of NaCCA, the Director General of NaCCA and the Director-General of GTEC. To Whom it May ConcernRETRACTION STATEMENT I wish to respectfully retract my earlier position conveyed in prior correspondence regarding the continued use of the title “Dr.” until a court of competent jurisdiction rules otherwise. Upon further reflection and in recognition of the concerns raised, I hereby clarify that my intention was never to disregard regulatory authority or create misunderstanding in the public domain. I fully agree to comply with all regulatory directives as communicated, and I regret any inconvenience or unintended implications my earlier statement may have caused. I remain committed to upholding the highest standards of professionalism and regulatory cooperation going forward. Respectfully, J.R. Achoanya Ayam GTEC as part of the campaign to ensure academic integrity in a letter dated November 10, 2025, reached out to the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) under the Ministry of Education, where the acting Deputy Director-General, Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam, was directed to stop using an “invalid Dr” title obtained from the Swiss Management Center (SMC) University from Switzerland. The November 10, 2025, letter was a follow-up to earlier engagements with Mr Ayam on the said certificate from SMC. GTEC had demanded a copy of his certificate and transcripts, and after a review, concluded that there were discrepancies and irregularities in the certificate and transcript from SMC. It said apart from the fact that the “Doctorate of Business Administration” certificate had no accreditation and therefore not recognised by GTEC, the nature of the degree awarded, from the certificate he presented to GTEC, indicated a “Doctorate of Business Administration”. GTEC noted that formulation differs from the conventional designation “Doctor of …” which is typically used for doctoral-level awards. The commission also observed an inconsistency between the awarding institution and the issuing body. While the certificate bears the name Swiss Management Center, the accompanying transcript is issued by SMC University, though both are dated June 22, 2018. Irregularities in Academic transcript The transcript submitted contains several inconsistencies and irregularities, including but not limited to the following: (i) The absence of information specifying the semester or academic year during which each of the seven listed courses was taken over the six-year duration of the programme. (ii) The allocation of an unusually high average credit load (approximately 85 credits per course), amounting to a total of 612 credit hours, which is academically implausible. (iii) The grading system used is atypical; grades are represented numerically rather than by the standard letter grading system (A, B, C, etc) (iv) The conversion of numerical grades (e.g. 3.8 and 3.7) to letter grades (A and A- respectively) lacks consistency with standard grading conventions (v) The doctoral thesis titled “Impact of Costing Systems on Financial Sustainability of Ghanaian Public Universities” lacks a course code, identification number, and credit weighting. The same applies to the other courses listed, making it impossible to determine how they contribute to the cumulative GPA. Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam’s initial reaction and refusal to abide by the directive Responding in a letter dated November 11, 2025, Justice Ray Achoanya Ayam, said until a court of competent jurisdiction rules otherwise, he is “unable to comply with the GTEC directive.” “I [Ayam] shall, in good faith and consistent with NAB’s 2020 affirmation, continue to use the academic title “Dr.”, a title reflecting a validly earned, lawfully conferred, and previously recognised doctoral qualification,” he stated. He went ahead to give a justification for the discrepancies and irregularities on his certificate and transcripts. Writer’s email: [email protected]