Technical Universities lecturers not backing down on ultimatum to government

The Technical Universities Teachers Association of Ghana, TUTAG says it is not backing down on the ultimatum issued to government to constitute Governing Councils for the various Technical Universities in the country.

According to the General Secretary of TUTAG, David Mawui-Brown, the absence of governing Councils for the Technical Universities is incompetence debacle and an act of ill motive on the part of government against Technical Universities.

“Within two days they can do whatever they want to do. Within two days government can do whatever it wants to do if they are really serious. We’ve had information from some quarters that the list is ready but it behooves on government to deal with it at the Flagstaff house, why is the list being kept in Flagstaff if the information we have is correct?.

If the government is up and doing, they can do that even within a day. Government needs only four people to put on the council. The rest are statutorily provided, so we don’t see why the delays. We are very fair to government, government is rather not fair to the Technical universities,” he said.

TUTAG, issued an ultimatum on August 25, 2017, to government to constitute Governing Councils for the various Technical universities or risk triggering serious labour unrest at the Technical University sector.

Addressing the media Friday in Koforidua, the General Secretary of TUTAG, David Worwui -Brown said “if the Councils are not duly inaugurated by August 25, 2017 the Association will advice itself by exploring all other industrial action opportunities available’.

According to the Association, Councils of other tertiary institutions have been inaugurated but, no council of any of the Technical Universities has been Constituted grounding major decisions and activities of the Technical Universities.

TUTAG enumerated that the situation has led to the inability of the Technical Universities to legitimately admit fresh students, graduate students, determine fees for 2017/2018 academic year, recruit key staff and implement the provision of Technical Universities Act, 2016 (Act 922) among other challenges crippling Technical University education.

According to TUTAG, despite assurance by the Minister of Education, Mathew Opoku Prempeh during a meeting with the executives on April 13, 2017, that the councils will be inaugurated before the end of June 2017, the situation remains unchanged deepening woes and anxiety among technical Universities.

The Association, therefore, believes the tactic is a deliberate ploy by the current government to kill the Technical University initiative by the previous government because it bad-mouthed the conversion when in opposition.

“Since the conversion of Polytechnics to Technical Universities, the current government before assuming office, had been castigating the policy and after winning power is continuing in the grand agenda to kill the initiative of the previous government,” the Association alleged.

The Association wants government to convert Wa and Bolga Polytechnics to Technical Universities to complete the conversion process.