The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has called on the government to expedite action on the disbursement of the book and research allowance.
It said the timely release of the allowance for the 2024/2025 academic year, which is almost at an end, was critical.
"We expect that all members of UTAG across the various universities receive their book and research allowance for the current academic year as soon as practicable.
"We, therefore, urge the relevant ministries and agencies – the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), and the Controller and Accountant General's Department to expedite the disbursement.
We further urgently remind the government of the September 2025 deadline for full payment to avoid any industrial actions," UTAG said in a communique.
Current developments
This was during its third Quarter National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the UTAG held at the Akenten Appiah Minka University of Skills Training and Entrepreneurial Development (AAMUSTED) to reflect on current developments within the Ghanaian public university landscape.
UTAG reiterated its call for a comprehensive and transparent assessment of office-holding arrangements across all public universities in Ghana.
"We believe that inconsistencies and inequalities in office holding policies—particularly in terms of tenure, pay and responsibilities—are undermining academic governance and morale,” it added.
The association said it had observed with concern the increasing trend of disapprovals and cancellations of key decisions taken by university councils and academic boards by GTEC.
That approach, it said, rather than fostering alignment and institutional improvement, constituted an infringement on the academic freedom and institutional autonomy enshrined within the governance framework of public universities.
It, therefore, urged GTEC to immediately cease this practice and instead engage in constructive dialogue and collaboration with universities to uphold the principles of autonomy and academic governance.
UTAG noted with appreciation the announcement by the government through the Minister of Education that GHC 40 million had been earmarked as a seed funding package aimed at strengthening newly established public universities.
The said amount, it said, "We are told, is to be shared equally among C. K. Tedem University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS), University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) and S. D. Dombo University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SSD-UBIDS)"
"While we commend the sector minister and the government for this initiative, we further request that the sector minister and the government extend this initiative to other universities that were established without seed funding.
These include the University of Media Arts and Communication (UNIMAC), the University of Environment and Sustainable Development Studies (UESD), the Ghana Communication Technology (GCTU) and the University for Development Studies (UDS)," it said.
Recruitment
It further urged the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance to expedite the issuance of financial clearance for the recruitment of new academic staff.
Many departments, it said, were overstretched with rising student-to-staff ratios, threatening the quality of teaching and supervision.
The association, it said, observed with disappointment that some university management, including the finance and audit departments, had created unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles in implementing the new Conditions of Service (CoS).
