Prof Honyenuga Appointed Vice-Chancellor of HTU

By Alberto Mario Noretti

Ho — THE authorities of the Ho Technical University (HTU), have made it clear that Professor Ben Qauarshie Honyenuga is at post as the acting Vice Chancellor of the institution.

An official statement issued by the university on Wednesday, February 13, and signed by the interim Registrar, Dr C.K. Amehoe said that contrary to a recent media report, "we wish to state for the information of the university community, alumni and the general public that neither the council nor management of HTU has been served notice of revocation of the appointment of a Vice-Chancellor of the university.

According to the statement, Council of HTU at its 29th Special Meeting held on Friday, 18th January, 2019, unanimously approved the appointment of Professor Honyenuga as Vice-Chancellor of the university.

"This approval followed the receipt of the report of the Search Committee for the Vice-Chancellor of HTU, constituted by the Council and chaired by Professor K.K. Adarkwa, a former Vice-Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.

"The National Council for Tertiary Education has since been notified of the decision of Council and requested for the appropriate terms and conditions under which the Vice-Chancellor should be appointed.

"Professor Honyenuga served as interim Pro-Vice Chancellor, a substantive Pro-Vice Chancellor and an acting Vice-Chancellor of the university," the statement added.

It stated that prior to his approval, Professor Honyenuga also served as substantive Pro-Vice Chancellor and Acting Vice-Chancellor of the university.

"Professor Honyenuga also served as Dean of Students and Vice-Rector when the institution was a polytechnic.

"Professor Honyenuga holds a B. A. Hons. Degree from the KNUST, Master of Public Administration (Thesis Option) in Management from the Open University of the Netherlands" the statement noted.

It added that Professor Honyenuga also held a certificate in Management of Higher Education Institutions from Galilee International Institute in Israel.

The statement revealed that Professor Honyenuga joined the university (then a polytechnic) in December 1997 as an instructor and rose through the ranks to become the first faculty member to be appointed a professorial status in the university.

"Professor Honyenuga, no doubt, holds authentic educational qualifications not only from accredited but also reputable world-class universities," the statement insisted.

The statement said that HTU had on record, a call for a probe into the authenticity of Professor Honyenuga's doctorate degree from two faculty members, Dr Richard S. Akplortsyi and Dr Cephas Bosrotsi, a matter the National Accreditation Board (NAB), the responsible agency for authentications, has dealt with and informed the university and petitioners.

Meanwhile, a letter dated December 13, 2018 to the university and signed by the Acting Executive Secretary of NAB on the subject, 'Evaluation of Certificate', Ben Quarshie Honyenuga, stated as follows: This is to certify that the Doctor of Philosophy awarded to Ben Honyenuga by the Open University of the Netherlands, is comparable to Doctorate (PhD), in relevant subject area, awarded by a recognised tertiary institution in Ghana", according to the statement.

It recalled that in another letter to the petitioners, the NAB stated that: We wish to inform you that the Open University of the Netherlands has been duly accredited in its home country and that, the certificate awarded to Mr. Ben Q. Honyenuga is authentic and comparable to doctoral degrees in the relevant subject area awarded by recognised tertiary institutions in Ghana. This qualifies Mr Ben Q. Honyenuga to prefix his name with the little 'Dr'.

The statement said that the university was, therefore, surprised that the The Herald newspaper could publish such falsehood and to state that "it was the result of the 'brouhaha' surrounding Mr. Honyenuga's PhD that has led to the Minister of Education abrogating his (Mr Honyenuga) appointment as the new VC, pending investigation".

"The university wished to assure students, staff, alumni and the public to disregard the publication in the Herald newspaper which could best be described as the handiwork of persons who have for some time now prided themselves as institutional non-conformists and rebels, seeking to tarnish the hard won reputation of HTU."

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