Vice Chancellors Ghana has 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, Dr Sena Kpeglo Freiku, argued that in today’s global knowledge economy, experienced university lecturers remain invaluable assets whose contribution often matures with age.
According to him, the proposal seeks to address a widening gap in faculty numbers and ensure that academic excellence is maintained across the country’s universities.
“Universities form part of a global knowledge economy,” Dr Freiku said.
“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.
He further emphasised that such a reform would address the current brain drain in academia, where highly skilled lecturers are forced into early retirement despite their continued intellectual capacity and willingness to contribute.
Currently, university lecturers in Ghana are mandated to retire at 60, a policy that has been widely criticised by academia as outdated and counterproductive in a sector that thrives on institutional memory, mentorship, and intellectual depth.
Dr Freiku clarified that the proposed extension would apply strictly to academic staff, distinguishing them from administrative or professional employees, whose roles may demand different considerations.
