Dr Peter Anti-Partey, Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast
A lecturer at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Peter Anti-Partey, has waded into the debate on the upward review of the retirement age for university staff from 60 years to 70 years.
Speaking on TV3 on April 28, 2025, Dr Anti-Partey indicated that the appeal by the Association of Vice Chancellors in Ghana has advantages and disadvantages.
He, however, noted that the vice chancellors, who are the administrators of tertiary educational institutions, may have cogent reasons for demanding for the review and extension.
“If you’re within the university circles, you’re allowed to apply for an extension after you retire and that is something made available to professors. So, I think what the vice chancellors are thinking now is to extend it to all staff – who have stayed in the university over the period before they got to their retirement – so that you don’t have to necessarily be a professor before you can apply for an extension or for a contract for 5 years and more.
“… It has its advantages and disadvantages but of course – they’re the administrators of the universities and they understand the advantages of this move,” he said.
Again, Dr Anti-Partey indicated that a broader stakeholder consultation was necessary to streamline the call for review of the retirement age.
“A possible disadvantage is that it could deny young people of spaces in the university. We need to think through it carefully to ensure that we don’t weed out experienced persons and at the same time ensure that recruitment of young staff in the university is not compromised,” he added.
Background
The government issued a directive on April 2, 2025, to suspend all post-retirement contracts in public sector institutions.
“The grant of post-retirement contract appointments to retired public service staff has been suspended with immediate effect,” the statement signed by the Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama, stated.
However, the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, announced an exception for the academic community from the directive to suspend post-retirement contracts on April 25, 2025.
In his estimation, their expertise would still be relevant to the education sector and hence could be retained beyond their retirement.
“About a month ago, the president issued a suspension of post-retirement contract renewal. My understanding was that it created some fear and panic. Let me assure you that it does not affect persons in academia. You are entitled to that exemption that recognize that you are rare breed in our country. Therefore, this post contract beyond sixty years does not affect members of academia in the country,” he assured.
Recently, the vice chancellors Ghana called on the government to review and extend the retirement age for university lecturers from 60 to 70 years, citing the need to retain experienced academics and strengthen the country’s higher education system.
Speaking at a forum, the Executive Secretary of the group, Dr Sena Kpeglo Freiku, argued that lecturers remain invaluable assets whose contribution often matures with age.
“Universities form part of a global knowledge economy. The university professor is more like the older, the better. What we are proposing is that in order to ensure the long-term capacity of universities and also to promote social autonomy, if the committee could consider maybe extending the retirement age for the academics, not the professionals, to 65 years, with a possibility of about 70,” he said.
VPO/AE
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