Succession plan at UPSA exposed!

It is often said that irresponsibility becomes mere bullying especially, when it is done with impunity. The succession plan that has been drawn at UPSA by the current Vice Chancellor (VC) is no secret. Within a period of three years, the wife of the VC rose from the position of a lecturer to an associate professor. Just last year, she was awarded a DBA degree (not a Ph.D) from the Swiss Management School (in academia, a Ph.D is preferred to a DBA). In the same year, the VC together with the governing council of UPSA convened an emergency meeting and promoted her (the VC’s wife) to the position of an associate professor. Incredible!!! The legitimate questions that arise are:

• How many of her articles have been published in any internationally recognized journal?

• If she were lecturing in the other public universities (e.g. University of Ghana or University of Cape Coast) would she have been promoted even to the position of a senior lecturer?

• Is her promotion aimed at making her the next Vice Chancellor of UPSA after the tenure of office of her husband ends in 2016?

• Are we running a dynasty at UPSA?

• Should UPSA be run like somebody’s personal property?

Ghanaians certainly need answers to all these questions. Now that the institution is a fully- fledged university, the government needs to intervene so that the right things are done. For instance, there is the need to reconstitute the governing council. The work of the current governing council leaves much to be desired. The council chairman is in bed with the VC to run down the university. If this autocracy and illegality should continue in the university, there will surely be a revolt very soon and the effects may be devastating. Let us remember that ‘a stitch in time saves nine’.