The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, says the government does not have the right to sack the Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Prof Kwasi Obiri-Danso.
According to the NDC flagbearer, if the University Council feels that the work of the Vice Chancellor is not up to standard, it has the right to take action, but it is not the duty of the government to attempt to remove the Vice Chancellor.
Mahama has also expressed worry over the government’s intention to pass the university bill to change the academic freedom of public universities in Ghana.
According to the NDC standard-bearer, the party will continue to promote greater academic freedom in the universities, bragging that the back and forth bickering over developments on the campuses of the University of Education, Winneba, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) will never occur under his administration.
Addressing a meeting with the national executives of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the former President, according to a story published on his official website, maintained that the government had no business interfering in the running of the universities, noting that the institutions have their own autonomous structures in place to deal with their administrative issues.
The Kumasi meeting discussed many topical issues, including remuneration, steps towards the introduction of sustainable grants for research and graduate education, the management of utilities on campus, infrastructure deficit in the universities, and the role universities can play in managing the unemployment challenge facing Ghana and other African countries.
John Mahama restated the NDC’s opposition to the Public Universities Bill, which is before Parliament, affirming that each and every university must remain autonomous and conduct its affairs without the intended interference in their activities.
“Every university is based on its diversity and what its objectives are must have its separate Act… if there are issues with the Act [that established a university], we can amend the Act for that particular university,” he stated.
The discussions form part of the NDC and John Mahama’s engagement with stakeholders and key groupings ahead of the 2020 general elections.
According to former President Mahama, the interactions are aimed at sharing ideas, and listening to the concerns and expectations of the various groupings to shape the party’s manifesto for 2020.
The outgoing President of UTAG, Dr. Eric Opoku, thanked the former President for responding to the invitation and expressed the desire that there will be more of such interactions, even after he assumes the presidency.
Mr. Mahama was accompanied by Professor Joshua Alabi, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra, NDC Chairman Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Ashanti Regional Chairman Nana Kwasi, and Dr. Callistus Mahama.
Source: The Chronicle
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This guy is confused what did you do when you were a president, in fact you are not convincing enough more especially when you have been there before and we knowing the mess you left hmmmmmmm I can't think far
EX-President Mahama must infact review his mental faculties to ensure he does not say things that are out of line. Infact the President can fire the VC who inadvertently was appointed/endorsed by the President. He[Mahama} must learn to stay in his lane and try to approach issues with a strong sense of maturity and tact.
This Kanazoe ford bribe taker is not fit to be president..... He has no vision for our country.
So who advice this corrupt Jdm. Hanging on even phrems to survive because of politics...So does he listen to himself....Hmmm no wonder he is incompetent....in so many ways.
If the President can't sack a V-C, what happened in the case of Late Prof. Asenso when your Gov't clandestinely used the Council to suspend him for the wrong doing of his son, old enough to be responsible for his iniquity, when he had already set up an investigating Committee?
Brilliant submission Sir. But why did you pass a single Act to convert 6 polytechnics into Technical Universities during your presidency. Why did you not pass individual Act for each of technical universities. Well, I wonder what you will tell TUTAG when you meet them. Even though I do not believe in equalization, let us be for once be sincere and speak to the facts. Where in the new Act does government take away the autonomy of the Universities? Setting up a research grant is a fantastic idea but under what framework and where will your source of funding be coming from? lastly, the critical issue of funding of public universities escaped your attention. Please sir let us hear from you on how your administration when voted into power hope to address the huge funding gap in public universities or better still put public universities on a sustainable financial path to contribute their quota to national, regional and global economy. Maybe the story did not capture all you said, a communique from your office (campaign or former president office) in the future do us all some good.
This man has no message. Can't you give us proper policy direction? We need solutions not criticism and promises that revenues cannot support.
When Univ of Ghana tried putting up at ARCH at their main entrance near the Okponglo, we saw National security go pull it down, not once, but twice. This happened Feb and March 2014
When a sitting president comes out to voice his opinion on failed students at Ghana Law School exams, it shows how irrelevant napo is. folks fail exams all the time. a young citizen did napo's work for him for free.