Audio Attachment:Listen to Ekwow Vincent Assafuah |
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has rejected a seven-member interim committee formed by government to manage the affairs of the University.
UTAG contends the dissolution of the governing council “frowns on the autonomy of the University and smacks of political interference.”
A statement signed by the Association's President, Prof. Eric K. Forkuo, said the lecturers will advise themselves should "the Government insist on going forward with its interim arrangement".
However, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ministry of Education, Ekwow Vincent Assafuah says there is no need to give importance to KNUST-UTAG's statement because "the Constitution of Ghana gives the President the power to appoint and disappoint".
According to him, the lecturers should have given alternative solution to the current situation instead of giving a 'blanket statement' without any 'basis'.
The PRO who was speaking in an interview on Peace FM's morning show 'Kokrokoo', Friday, told sit-in host, Nana Yaw Kesseh that "...making allegations on the basis of law and failing to provide those basis in his statement, make blanket statements, I don’t think it is worth responding to honestly. From top to bottom (of their statement) they (UTAG) have failed to provide the supposed or so called law showing government how to deal with issues of such instance; and they are saying that we rather erred when they have failed to provide the alternative?"
"Do we have to always criticise everything for the sake of criticising or is it the case that somebody is doing the bidding of a friend or a member? In any case, I am yet to come to terms with what UTAG is saying," he added.
Government, on Thursday, dissolved the governing council of the KNUST and tasked the 7-member council it (government) put together, to with immediate effect, find solutions to happenings in the school.
Government also directed that the university be reopened within fourteen days to enable academic work to continue.
The Interim Council, chaired by Nana Effah Apenteng, Paramount Chief of the Bompata Traditional Area, has a three-month tenure.
Source: Rebecca Addo Tetteh/Peacefmonline.com
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The 1992 Constitution is the supreme law of this country. KNUST is part of Ghana. If things go haywire in any part of Ghana, it is the President who has the mandate to take immediate decisions to resolve issues and bring about peace. If people are saying dissolving the Governing Council of KNUST is illegal, what is the legal thing to do to restore peace and harmony to the school? I think the KNUST Governing Council could not perform as expected and sat down for things to get out of hand. What should a responsible government do? My problem here is that people politicize everything under the planet in this country. They don't offer solutions and when things get absolutely nasty, they point accusing fingers at the government. I feel sad that most Ghanaians behave like party foot soldiers, educated or not. The educated ones should take the responsibility to assume the conscience of the society, advising, facilitating, mediating for peace and harmony in this country.
THIS PRO IS NOT FIT FOR ROLE. HIS RESPONSE SHOWS HIS IMMATURITY. BUT I SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH THE GOVT's ACTION AND IT IS CONSTITUTIONAL. THE ROOT PROBLEM IS BETWEEN KATANGA AND THE KNUST ADMINISTRATION. THE KNUST PRO-VICE CHANCELLOR, ALSO A UTAG MEMBER, IS PART OF THE IMC. UTAG AND KNUST ADMINISTRATION ARE THEREFORE FULLY REPRESENTED ON THE IMC THROUGH THE PRO-VC. THE SRC PRESIDENT REPRESENTS THE INTEREST OF THE ENTIRE STUDENTS OF UST NOT KATANGA STUDENTS ONLY AND THEREFORE HE IS THE RIGHT PERSON TO REP THE STUDENTS ON THE IMC. CAN ANYONE PROFFER AN ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION THAT WILL NORMALISE/RESTORE THE ACADEMIC STATE OF KNUST SOON ??
Go on with your guyguy and arrogance.... The sky is definately your limit wai...
UEW cannot be allowed here. KNUST cannot be destroyed. I swear not here. We the UTAG knows what to do.
its sad NPP these days is made up of arrogant people. This guy shd go n read the University's status on the composition of the council. R we in military rule? I feel sad Nana Addo is going this way. Is this the NANA ADDO we toiled for?
why should academics become politics !!!! this is serious!
My friend if you have nothing sensible to say please keep quiet. If not for politics how would you have had the chance to speak to lecturers and professors that way. What the government has done is not right. Instead of you accepting the mistake and reconstituting the body as soon as possible listen to the words that is coming out of your mouth. Ghana if we don't stop this hypocrisy and divisive politics we will be in trouble. I will be surprised if UTAG keeps quiet over this. This is not fair.
This guy is not fit for this role. I have been listening to all his communication and it is not measuring up to the standard expected of a PRO.
small boy like you. you don't respect. look at how you are addressing lecturers on KNUST. what have you achieve to describe UTAG like that. ***barred word*** boy
I wonder what gives this PRO the right to be responding to issues this way. If you cannot respond to issues then what the h.e.ll are you doing there? You think we pay you to respond to issues that sound pleasant in your ears? Do you realize that you are behaving just like the VC you are trying to boot out? If only he had not been adamant and had exercised a little sense of tolerance and engaged in a little more dialogue, I believe the situation would be completely different from the pictures we see today. Yours is to communicate the ministry's position in a way that makes the ministry and the minister look good in the eyes of the public. You have no right to be confrontational and tell us which issues merit your response and which ones don't. Watch it man!!!