Following Gyan’s honorary degree, the Black Stars Skipper humbly requested to be addressed as “Dr. Asamoah Gyan”, but unfortunately, that will never be.
Black Stars striker and Captain, Asamoah Gyan on Sturday, 8th July, 2017, received an honorary doctorate degree from Ukrainian University, Alfred Nobel. He was also awarded the Honorary Personality of Exemplary Leadership by the same university.
The Honorary Awards ceremony came off at the Law Auditorium of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Gyan’s honorary degree was in recognition of his numerous contributions to the betterment of lives in the Ghanaian society, as well as his outstanding achievements in his football career.
The Black Stars skipper who recently penned a two-year deal with Turkish side Kayerispor FC, has really been using his famous position to make significant marks in the lives of the ordinary Ghanaian; one of such projects being the construction of a classy AstroTurf in his Alma mater, The Accra Academy.
With 51 international goals to his credit, Asamoah Gyan remains Ghana’s All-Time Top Scorer, as well as Africa’s Highest World Cup scorer.
Meanwhile, Gyan has been in the news recently for some unpleasant reasons; from the resurrected issues of Castro’s disappearance and Sarah Kwablah’s alleged rape, to the most undesirable – his US penalty miss.
But with the doctorate degree award, the popular striker had reasons to smile again. Speaking to the media after the award ceremony, Asamoah Gyan expressed elation over his achievement; stating that it means so much to him, especially as a footballer.
” I’m happy. This award is very very important in my life. It’s one of the biggest awards I’ve ever had in my life. I’ve won so many big awards before but as a sportsman to become a Doctor is a great achievement in my life. My family is proud of me…” He said.
Gyan went ahead to celebrate his new feat via his twitter handle, requesting that he be henceforth addressed as “Dr. Asamoah Gyan”.
However, Gyan will not have his wish granted, as he, together with his fellow awardees are not allowed to go by the title, ‘Dr’.
Following Asamoah Gyan’s honorary degree, and that of some other prominent Ghanaians, the National Accreditation Board (NAB) has warned the PhD awardees to desist from using the title ‘Dr’, since it is wrong to do so.
It further asked all those who have received questionable honorary doctorates from unaccredited institutions to forthwith stop using the title.
Speaking during an an interview with the Daily Graphic on Monday, 10th July, the Executive Secretary of NAB, Mr Kwame Dattey, stressed that persons who received honorary PhD are not supposed to use the title ‘Dr’, even when the honour is from an accredited institution.
“You don’t have to address yourself as a doctor. If you are given an honorary degree, it is an honorary degree. Honorary is honorary — you don’t even have to put it on your curriculum vitae,” he said, calling on the media and the general public to stop addressing those people as such.
Mr Dattey was reacting to discussions on unaccredited institutions that have been dishing out honorary doctorate degrees to some prominent Ghanaians following research work by two Ghanaian professors at the Valdosta State University in the US, Prosper Yao Tsikata and Dr A. Kobla Dotse.
The two professors, in their research work titled, “The Accreditation Challenges in Transnational Educational Ecology: The Ghanaian Experience, An Investigative Report”, named about 10 unaccredited institutions. They include;
Commonwealth of Dominica and affiliates in Lagos, Nigeria
Speaking further, Mr Dattey, most of the institutions conferring honorary doctorate degrees on prominent Ghanaians were not operating in Ghana and are not even accredited in their home countries. He pointed out that such action cast a slur on the image of the country and also raise credibility questions, not only for the recipients but also the country.
The NAB secretary also indicated that the National Accreditation Board is presently seeking legal backing to prosecute institutions and persons behind the award of fraudulent honours. The NAB he said, has completed its part regarding the law; with the Parliament left to complete the process.
He expressed the hope that the new legislation to give the NAB legal backing to prosecute unaccredited institutions would come into force before the end of the year.
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