Help resolve impasse — UTAG appeals to stakeholders
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has urged stakeholders in the education sector to help resolve the impasse at the University of Education Winneba (UEW).
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The crises, according UTAG, have the potential of not only “destroying the hard won reputation of certain individuals, but also derailing the entire progress the University of Education, Winneba, has made so far.”
Show commitment
A statement signed and issued by Dr Eric Opoku Mensah, the President of the association, called on the Vice Chancellors' Ghana, the Governing Council of UEW, the Ministry of Education, National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) and the Office of the President of the Republic of Ghana to show commitment to find an amicable solution to the issues at UEW.
No arrest
The statement said UTAG, however, refuted the alleged arrest and detention of the vice-chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, saying, “Prof. Mawutor Avoke was not formally written to, to appear before the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) and, therefore, has not been arrested or detained as speculated in the media.
“At the time the memorandum of understanding (MoU) of the North campus road (the case in contention) was contracted, Prof. Avoke was a Dean and as such was not a party.
“The current acting Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Afful-Broni, was the substantive Pro-Vice Chancellor who signed most of the payment vouchers (PVs) with the former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Asabere-Ameyaw,” the statement explained.
Be fair
It said the association, therefore, expressed concern as to why “EOCO has not officially invited Very Rev. Prof. Fr Anthony Afful Broni and Prof. Akwasi Asabere-Ameyaw, the main architects of the said contract, to appear before it, but was rather concentrating on Prof. Avoke.”
It also noted that although Prof. Avoke had not been found guilty by any court of competent jurisdiction, attempts had been made to withdraw all benefits due him as the Vice-Chancellor of the university.
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“UTAG has always maintained that if any of its members is found to have engaged in any act of malfeasance then, the law should be allowed to take its course. This is particularly so when there are two cases, in relation to the above stated impasse, pending before both the High Court in Winneba and the Supreme Court," it said.
Allow law to work
The association also noted that “any attempt by any individual, groups of individuals, or institutions, to use any scheme or strategy outside the confines of the provisions of the 1992 constitution of Ghana, the UEW Act and Statutes, in order to cause public displeasure against any of its members connected to the case before the final outcome of the cases in competent courts of jurisdiction “will be unfortunate.”
“An earlier strike action declared by UTAG on September 18, 2017, due to these underhand dealings and unfair treatment of Prof. Avoke, was suspended following the intervention of Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG) with the aim of resolving the problem behind the scenes.
Governing Council
“It was the expectation of UTAG that having constituted the UEW Goveming Council, an amicable solution could be reached, however, matters have worsened under the Chairmanship of Prof. Abakah's Governing Council,” the statement noted.
The statement said UTAG believed in the legal processes towards resolving the UEW issues, but “will not hesitate to fully employ all the strategies available to it in order to redeem and protect the interest and image of members of the Association and particularly, the autonomy of public universities.”