The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) has instructed the University for Development Studies (UDS) to stop delivering its accredited evening Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme at weekends, saying the change was made without regulatory approval.
In a letter dated October 5, 2026, and addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of UDS in Tamale, the Commission said it was seriously concerned that students admitted to the evening programme had been required to move to weekend classes.
The letter was signed by GTEC Deputy Director-General Prof Augustine Ocloo on behalf of the Director-General.
GTEC said the programme had been accredited specifically for evening delivery. It added that the approved mode of delivery was a central condition of accreditation and had been assessed against the academic, staffing, infrastructure and teaching arrangements submitted by UDS.
“Consequently, an institution cannot unilaterally alter the approved mode of delivery of an accredited programme without the prior written approval of the Commission,” GTEC stated.
According to the Commission, switching the programme from evening to weekend delivery amounted to a material breach of the accreditation terms and represented regulatory non-compliance.
It said the unauthorised change could affect academic contact hours, the availability of faculty members, students’ access to teaching and learning facilities, and the institution’s quality assurance arrangements.
GTEC has therefore directed UDS to end the weekend delivery immediately and return the LLB programme to its approved evening format.
The university has also been told to stop any arrangement that requires students to transfer to weekend classes. All affected students must be returned to the approved mode of delivery without suffering academic or financial disadvantage.
UDS must formally notify all affected students, as well as the relevant academic and administrative units, of the directive. It is also required to provide documentary evidence that it has fully complied within seven days.
“Accordingly, the Commission hereby DIRECTS the University to CEASE, WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT, the delivery of the accredited evening LLB programme as a weekend programme and to restore the programme to its duly approved evening mode of delivery,” the letter said.
GTEC warned that failing to comply within the seven-day deadline could lead to regulatory action without further notice.
Possible sanctions include the suspension, withdrawal or revocation of the programme’s accreditation, as well as an order preventing UDS from admitting additional students to the programme.
The Commission also made clear that it would not recognise the continued delivery of the LLB programme in any mode that had not received formal approval.
