Govt announces new guidelines for post-retirement contracts at public universities

Government has announced new rules to guide post-retirement contracts for academic staff at the country’s public universities.

Minister of Education, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh made the revelation during a press briefing in Accra on Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

The Minister stated that under the new regulations, post-retirement contracts in all public universities will be guided by the following rules:

1. Mandatory retirement for academic staff of public universities shall continue to be 60 years, in line with constitutional provisions.

2. Professorial grade staff (Associate Professors and Professors) will be eligible for post-retirement contracts until the age of 70. The initial contract shall be for 5 years up to the age of 65, and then afterwards, contracts shall be offered on a two-year + two-years + one-year basis, subject to need and good health.

3. Senior Lecturers will be eligible for post-retirement contract on a two years + two years + one-year basis only up to the age of 65, subject to need and good health.

4. Specific provision must be made for compensation for all staff on post-retirement contract. Such staff will be clearly designated and accounted for separately as Contract Staff in the annual budget of the institution.

Explaining the rationale behind this, Dr Opoku Prempeh stated that it has become particularly necessary as part of measures to bolster and maintain a critical mass of key academic staff to support the anticipated significant increase in tertiary enrolment as a consequence of the free Senior High School programme.

He revealed that the National Council of Tertiary Education (NCTE) has been tasked to develop and deploy a mechanism for monitoring output in those areas following the implementation of the new regime for post-retirement contracts.