The Methodist Church of Ghana has given all its active ministers holding doctorate degrees until the end of September to submit copies of the certificates obtained for that qualification for verification.
In addition, laypersons with doctorates working with the church who want their doctorate degrees listed in the records of the church have also been asked to comply with the directive.
According to the directive, upon submission, the church will forward those certificates to the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to verify whether the degree-awarding institution is accredited.
Also, if they are accredited, the Commission will authenticate whether the bearer of the certificate has met the requirements to be awarded the degree.
The GTEC has been embarking on a national campaign to clamp down on the use of unearned academic titles in the country and to enforce the law against their abuse.
Most Rev. Professor J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, the Presiding Bishop of the church, announced this in Cape Coast at the just-ended 13th Expanded General Purposes Council (EGPC) of the church.
The EGPC serves as an extension of the General Purposes Council (GPC), the highest decision-making body of the church between conferences.
It has been instituted to enhance strategic planning, policy oversight, and administrative efficiency in response to the growing needs of the church in a rapidly changing social and spiritual landscape.
Most Rev. Asamoah-Gyadu has accordingly directed all the bishops and Synod Secretaries of the church to communicate the directive to their members in the dioceses across the connexion.
The Presiding Bishop stressed that the directive was to protect the church against all forms of embarrassment and ridicule in the public space.
“We are not doing witch hunting. This is making sure that we are on track. We don’t want to wait until we are embarrassed as a church.”
“I’m very serious about this because not only are we accepted as a nation, but this is a claim to academic qualification,” he emphasised.
The 2025 edition of the Expanded General Purposes Council coincided with the grand durbar celebration of the church’s 190th anniversary, which took place on Saturday, August 23, this year.