The National Accreditation Board (NAB) boss, Dr. Kingsley Nyarko has howled at how honorary doctorate titles are been abused in Ghana today.

According to the NAB Executive Secretary, the practice is been mistreated because of economic esteem, which no more becomes an honor but a business activity.

“Our worry is that the practice is being abused, mainly as a result of financial considerations. We know some of these institutions who are conferring honorary doctoral titles to persons ask them to pay as much as $12,000 then it becomes a business activity and that is what we are against,” he said.

“When persons get this honour deservingly, they are not supposed to use the titles, the titles are meant to be part of their achievements as a decoration or on their CVs.”

A media seminar was held at the Ceeta Kel Hotel in Kumasi on Thursday, November 29, 2019 by NAB to have an overview of its mandate and operations.

The National Accreditation Board whose mission is to provide the best basis for establishing, measuring and improving standards in Ghana’s Tertiary institutions have come to note that qualifications to earn one a honorary title is on the verge of flopping therefore failure to uplift their efforts to tighten honorary endorsement would negatively affect doctoral programmes offered in tertiary institutions and weaken people’s motivation to study.

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“If we don’t check this abuse of academic titles, it will undermine the quest of persons to earn these degrees. If persons know they can obtain these honorary doctoral titles by paying, the motivation to study and contribute to knowledge to earn a doctoral title will not be there, and if we are not careful, gradually, we are going to kill the interest of persons who want to legitimately acquire this degree by enrolling in accredited institutions and going through the programme to attain this qualification,” Dr Nyarko added.

He compared how western countries revere doctorate titles and the impact of honored people towards their countries yet majority of people in Ghana exalted with such boast of it as a result of their lack self-confidence towards mandates.

“If you go to Germany, because of how they revere doctorial titles, when you become even a professor, you still keep the title.

“..sadly, some of these persons even obtain the doctorial titles from institutions that are not even accredited. Mushroom institutions are awarding titles, this practice is not acceptable, and we must accept that.

“What is in the title? It’s not a title that you can hold. It’s about what you can deliver. People are looking for examples and how you affect society. Titles mean nothing if you cannot show us what you have been able to do,” he said.

Dr. Nyarko called on the media to help the National Accreditation Board educate people on the significance of honorary doctorates to encourage improved academic performance for Ghana’s development.