The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) says it will sanction the University of Ghana Branch of the association for holding a press conference on the Public Universities Bill without approval.
According to the umbrella union of the university lecturers, the leadership of the Legon branch of UTAG has been involved in all deliberations over the bill and the reviews that have been made to the bill as a result of such consultations, hence finds their difficulty to understand the position of their colleagues.
In an interview monitored by Plan B 104.5 FM on Wednesday, President of the University of Cape Coast branch of UTAG, Dr. Samuel Bert Boadi-Kusi said, “We just had a meeting in Ho and their President was there. In fact their leaders have been part of the negotiations throughout so we don’t know why they will go ahead to hold this press conference without the approval of the mother body. For them to go ahead in this manner, the necessary sanctions will have to apply. What is their motive for inviting CSOs and the media for this press conference without the national body,”
He said sanctions could include the exclusion of Legon UTAG members from leadership of the association and also barring them from attending meetings.
Background
UTAG and its members at the University of Ghana have in recent times clashed over the Public Universities Bill.
The University of Ghana (UG) branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has made clear in no uncertain terms their opposition to the Public University Bill (PUB), calling on government to withdraw it.
While the UG lecturers demand the complete withdrawal of the bill, the umbrella body (UTAG) appears to support the bill if only amendments to some of the proposals are made.
In a recently released statement, the UG-UTAG said claims by President Akufo-Addo and the NPP government that the rationale behind the bill is incontestable is untrue.
“…the President conceded that “valid criticisms” had been brought against the PUB and said that these would be reviewed. However, the President ultimately concluded that “the basic thrust of the Bill and the rationale for it is incontestable”. With this press conference, UG-UTAG is, in fact, contesting the very basis of the Bill and calling for it to be completely withdrawn.
“In sum, our objections are that the PUB is unconstitutional, unnecessary, and will create more problems than it claims to solve,” the statement said.
The leadership of UG-UTAG also added: “If passed into law, this new legislation would confer on the President powers that the 1992 Constitution explicitly denies him or her under Articles 68(1)(b) and 195(3). Through provisions in the Bill that give the Executive majority representation on the University Council and that allow the President to dissolve the Council, the President would effectively control universities”.
They also stressed, ”The new law would thus erode the protections that the Constitution grants universities in order that they can effectively carry out their mandate of teaching, learning, and research; academics would become beholden to the political party in power, either as a result of direct interference or through self-censorship, and would cease to be the source to which the media and public can turn for impartial analysis of government policies”.
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