I challenge anyone to show me one good thing about Public Universities Bill – Prof Atuguba

An Associate Professor and Dean of the University of Ghana law school, Raymond Atuguba, has thrown a challenge to anyone willing to publicly point out a single good thing that the Public Universities Bill will bring to the academia.

Prof Atuguba told GhanaWeb in an exclusive interview on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, that after reading all 51 clauses of the Bill, he is convinced that the Bill, if operationalised, will spell doom for academic freedom in Ghana.

The respected law professor had earlier indicated in an article to members of the University of Ghana chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) that government is determined to pass the bill very soon despite the resistance from the academia.

When GhanaWeb reached out to him following his strongly-worded article with some of the justification by the government on why the bill is important, Prof Atuguba said for a single positive thing that the bill purports to bring, there is a hundred-fold, hidden, negatives to the academia in the long run.

“I challenge anyone to show me a single good thing about this Bill. I am ready for a public debate,” he said.

He said upon a critical reading of the Bill, key sections reveal a hidden agenda to stifle academic freedom and politicise the governance of public universities.

“Have you seen any academic supporting this bill? There is none,” he stressed.

According to the sponsor of the Bill, the Ministry of Education, the Public Universities Bill seeks to harmonise the finances, administration and governance structure of public universities in Ghana.

The Public Universities Bill when passed, will give the government of Ghana the power to appoint the majority of members of the University Council.

The University Council will then have the power to appoint and dismiss public university officials.

It will also give the President the power to dissolve the University Council which will now have the power to appoint a chancellor.

Prof Atuguba and members of UTAG are calling for a complete withdrawal of the Bill.

Meanwhile, reports suggest the government has suspended the controversial Bill.

According to Accra-based Starr FM, Parliament has suspended consideration of the bill on Wednesday although it went through second reading on Tuesday, December 15, 2020.

"The move follows a meeting with the stakeholders by Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Chairman of the education committee Wednesday morning," Starr FM reports.

Chairman for the Committee on Education, William Quaittoo, told the media that copies of the revised bill has been made available to all agitating stakeholders for their inputs, the report stated.