Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Education
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) chapter of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has announced an immediate strike action due to the dissolution of the governing council of the university by government.
According to the UTAG members, the action of government does not only frown on the autonomy of the university, but smacks of political interference.
President of the KNUST local chapter of UTAG, Prof Eric Kwabena Forkuo, who was a member of the dissolved board, said lecturers of the university do not also recognize the Interim Management Committee (IMC) put in place to resolve the current impasse in the school.
Government dissolved the governing council of the university and put in place a seven-member IMC to run the affairs of the school that was shut down indefinitely following a violent protest by students on Monday.
This followed briefings and recommendations made by the Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and his high-powered delegation, which included the Minister for National Security, Albert Kan Dapaah and the Minister-designate for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah after a fact-finding visit.
The IMC, which is chaired by Nana Effah Apenteng, the Paramount Chief of Bompata Traditional Area, has Prof Rita Akosua Dickson (KNUST Pro-Vice Chancellor), Dr Edward Baffoe-Bonnie, Hilda Haggar Ampadu, Prof Joshua Ayarkwa, Abena Antwi and Kelvin Sah as members.
The name of the Vice Chancellor, Prof Kwasi Obiri-Danso was conspicuously missing from a seven-member IMC, as well as the representative of the teachers.
This has angered the KNUST UTAG members who consider the move as an affront to lecturers who are also vital stakeholders in the administration of university.
DAILY GUIDE has learnt that a UTAG representative has been included in the IMC.
Speaking to the media after a crunch meeting, the KNUST UTAG President, Prof Forkuo said strike action had been adopted by members pending the restoration of the dissolved governing council of the university.
“Following deliberations, we have all decided that the government, as a matter of urgency, should restore the governing council of the KNUST. We don’t recognise the Interim Management Committee set up by the government yesterday and we will withdraw our teaching services until government restores things back.”
He indicated that UTAG members hold the view that there are mechanism enshrined in the Act and Statutes of the university to resolve the current crisis and that the dissolution was an attack on lecturers.
“We do not believe that the action taken by government is the best way to resolve the issue, as it frowns on the autonomy of the University and smacks of political interference,” an earlier statement by UTAG stressed.
The Ministry of Education, in a statement, explained that the previous governing council of KNUST was not in the position to review its own processes and decisions affecting the student body to guarantee peace and bring about tranquility.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi