UTAG Leaders Split Over Bill

Prof. Charles Ofosu Marfo

Relations between leaders of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and their local branch at the University of Ghana (UG) have been strained following a row over the Public University Bill 2020.

At the centre of the dispute is the articulation of UTAG’s position on the subject matter, with both leaderships in a war of words amidst threat of impeachment against the National President of UTAG, Professor Charles Ofosu Marfo.

The UG-UTAG, in a statement jointly signed by its Chairman, Dr. Samuel Nilirmi Nkumbaan, and Secretary, Dr. Bethel Kwansa-Bentum, accused the association’s national president of compromising on UTAG’s position on the controversial Public University Bill.

According to the UG-UTAG, Prof. Marfo has not been articulating the position of the public universities on the bill as his utterances pointed to a leader on his own voyage.

The statement noted that the UTAG President had “consistently misrepresented and sidelined UG-UTAG’s position on the Public University Bill in his public engagements,” and argued that the proposed “bill does not seek to address any gap in the existing governing public universities.”

According to the UG lecturers, “the bill will allow unnecessary government interference in the affairs of public universities.”

“UG-UTAG has observed that the demeanour and public utterances of the national president suggest that he is not committed to carrying out the mandate of the public universities, which is, advocating the withdrawal or rejection of the Public University Bill by the Executive or Parliament, respectively,” the statement indicated.

“At this emergency meeting held on Thursday, June 11, 2020, the University of Ghana branch of UTAG (UG-UTAG) resolved to initiate impeachment proceedings against the national president of UTAG for consistently misrepresenting and sidelining UG-UTAG’s position on the Public University Bill 2020 in his public engagements,” the UG lecturers stated.

UTAG Response

But the national executives (UTAG), in a response, called the bluff of the University of Ghana branch and demanded the public to treat the threat to impeach Prof. Marfo with contempt.

The National Vice President of UTAG, Dr. Otchere Addai Mensah, said those attempting to trigger an impeachment process ought to apply themselves with the laid-down rules and regulations of the association, pointing out that UTAG remained a united front to champion the cause of university lecturers.

“There are laid-down rules and regulations for the impeachment of national officers, and I am sure that if they speak to lawyers, they would have known that that letter has been written and it serves against the provisions of the UTAG constitutions.

“UTAG remains a united front. The Dr. Charles Marfo-led leadership has given UTAG one of sound and resolution leadership,” Dr. Otchere Addai Mensah said.

Public University Bill

The Public University Bill 2020 is to provide for the establishment, governance arrangements and management of a public university and for related matters.

It was laid in Parliament on January 28, 2020 by the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.

By Ernest Kofi Adu