African Education Watch, a civil society organization which is focused on the development of Education in Africa has advised Vice Chancellors of universities to close down all Universities in the country.
It could be recalled that University Teachers across the country embarked on a Nationwide strike 22 days ago in demand for better conditions of service.
In a press statement dated 9th February, 2022 from African Education Watch, they called on vice Chancellors in the country to close down all public universities due to the following reasons;
- Majority of students on campus are freshmen who have not even been matriculated.
- These freshmen have had no academic direction since they arrived in the universities to meet a university community without academic activity or supervision by their lecturers and counselors due to the strike.
- The continuous stay on campus by students without academic activity has economic and social consequences on them and their families back home, as they continue to incur expenditure they otherwise wouldn’t have incurred if they were home.
READ THE STATEMENT FROM AFRICAN EDUCATION WATCH BELOW
CLOSE DOWN UNIVERSITIES UNTIL UTAG IMPASSE IS RESOLVED
It has been 22 working days since members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) embarked on an industrial strike demanding enhanced conditions of service. The strike was declared on the 10th of January 2022.
Majority of students on campus are freshmen who have not even been matriculated. These freshmen have had no academic direction since they arrived in the universities to meet a university community without academic activity or supervision by their lecturers and counselors due to the strike.
Their continuous stay on campus without academic activity has economic and social consequences on them and their families back home, as they continue to incur expenditure they otherwise wouldn’t have incurred if they were home.
On the labour front, five weeks of industrial action is yet to achieve any significant progress in negotiating a settlement to the impasse.
In view of the increasing social and economic cost of staying on campus with no academic activity, the absence of academic direction for freshmen on campus, and the apparent lack of an imminent negotiated settlement of the impasse, it will be in the best interest of students; freshmen especially, and their families for the schools to be closed down.
We therefore call on Vice Chancellors to close down all public universities until the UTAG strike is called off.
Accra, 9th February 2022
SOURCE : Coverghana.com.gh
