Fresh Students Appeal To UTAG

Fresh students of the University of Ghana, Legon have made a passionate appeal to the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to call off its strike action.

Making the appeal in an interview on the Legon campus yesterday, the students pointed out that they had already gone through difficult times before gaining admission and, therefore, the late start of lectures would compound their problems, since it would derail the academic calendar.

According to the students, since this was their first time on the university campus, they had high expectations and looked forward to the start of brisk academic work which is scheduled to start on Monday.

A fresh student, Ms Felicia Amalema, said because all first year students were non-residential, she had to travel from Dansoman where she reside to Legon only to hang around and go back without doing anything. She said the continuance of the strike action would probably mean that she should go back to Takoradi where she came from to avoid spending money on feeding and transport.

Mr Mike Abankwa said he was frustrated at the turn of events, “because I have finished with the registration and orientation but I have to just hang around doing practically nothing while time ticks away”.

Mr Robert Acquah pleaded with the government to see to the needs of the lecturers since they developed the knowledge base of the country. He said education was very paramount in the nation’s development and, it was high time mechanisms were put in place to forestall such strike actions which were becoming an annual ritual.

Ms Citadel Fiagbeh said she reported on campus on August 13, finished with her orientation and registration and was looking forward to meeting her lecturer and appealed to UTAG to rescind its decision and resume work.

When contacted, lecturers declined to comment and instead directed that this reporter should talk to their executive members. However, efforts to talk to the UTAG executives proved futile because they were not on campus.

In a related development, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) branch of the UTAG had made it clear that its members would continue their strike action until the government commits itself to their proposal with regard to their salary adjustment, remuneration packages and conditions of service, reports George Ernest Asare.

Speaking to the Graphic, just after a general meeting yesterday, the branch president of the association, Dr S. O. Olympio, noted that notwithstanding the re-opening of the university and the presence of freshmen on campus, the lecturers would never commit themselves to any teaching until something positive was done about their demands.

He said so far, there had not been any form of negotiations with the government and members were waiting patiently for the government to respond to their demands. According to Dr Olympio, the members would call off their strike action and resume lecturers if something meaningful should come out of the negotiations.

He said information filtering in indicated that the Minister of Finance was studying their proposals,” so we are waiting for their response”.