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The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) has called for the review and approval of the Public Universities Bill that is currently in Parliament to be suspended.
“We strongly declare that the consideration and approval of the bill must be stopped,” he said.
A statement signed and issued by GAUA’s president and general secretary, Messrs. Kwabena Antwi Konadu and Felix Adu-Poku, respectively, said that the association was concerned by the recent rhetoric and public discourse on the bill from the minister of Education, Dr. Mathew Opoku. Prempeh, some members of Parliament and a section of the media.
Main stakeholder
He said the association was part of the stakeholders who submitted memoranda and ultimately met with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education on the bill.
However, he said that if the recent discussions and the document that GAUA had seen presented before Parliament for its consideration was something to go through, then it would not be wrong to conclude that GAUA’s position on the bill had not been considered. like none. useful input.
“As a group critical of university management and administration, we are extremely surprised, concerned and disappointed by the deliberate attempt to sideline GAUA as a key player in university government and operations.
“This can even be seen clearly in the composition of the proposed council, which has all the unions on our campuses in representation, except GAUA,” he added.
Furthermore, he described the situation as “unfortunate, unfair, discriminatory, and with the utmost disregard for the GAUA,” especially considering the fact that members remain the most critical group when it comes to university governance and administration.
The statement says that, based on current developments and the content of the bill presented to Parliament on December 15, 2020 for its consideration, and acknowledging that the recommendations presented by GAUA and other stakeholders had not been recognized, “ We firmly declare that the consideration and approval of the bill must be suspended ”.
Rector of the public university
The bill proposes the appointment of a rector of a public university by the Rector.
GAUA, in its proposal, among others, expressed the conviction that the chancellery was honorary and should be devoid of any political “color”.
“We humbly affirm that appointment to that office should not be the responsibility of the government,” he said.
The bill also proposes a uniform three-year term for the council president, vice chancellor, vice chancellor, registrar and chief financial officer.
The GAUA countered that an arrangement in which all officials had the same term in office could be problematic, as it did not foresee a smooth transition of the administration and could jeopardize memory and institutional continuity.
“In our opinion, the three-year term of a rector is too short to update a meaningful vision. We suggest that the four years, in the first instance, be maintained ”, he stated.
He also pointed out that unlike the appointment of the vice chancellor and the professional vice chancellor, the registrar and the finance director are career appointments that, in the opinion of the association, should not be linked to that of the vice chancellor. .
Composition of the Governing Council
GAUA said a governing council was understood to be made up of representation from “university members” and the public or civil society, making the council very inclusive and diverse.
However, he noted that the composition of the governing council, as currently proposed in the bill, sought to take away its inclusiveness and diverse character and rather give the government absolute power and control over the governance of public universities.
“It seeks to ignore the role and place of other key players, including the alumni association, staff associations and the Conference of Directors of Assisted High Schools (CHASS), where the main raw materials for the university are produced,” he noted. the notice. outside.
Background
The controversial Public University Bill was read for the second time in Parliament last week.
The bill, made up of 56 clauses and five sections, was introduced in Parliament by Dr. Opoku Prempeh on November 3 of this year.
It provides for the establishment, governance arrangements and management of a public university in the country.
The original bill was withdrawn last year after the minority objected to certain provisions that stakeholders said would undermine the autonomy and academic freedom of Ghana’s public universities.
While the government has been strong advocates of the bill, promoting harmonization and other reforms to improve admission, teaching and learning, many key stakeholders such as the University of Ghana Chapter of the Ghana University Teachers Association (UTAG) and the Student Representative Council (SRC), had expressed doubts about the bill after the government failed to undertake broader consultations with stakeholders.
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