President Mahama Meets UTAG Leadership, Discusses Teachers’ Welfare and Tertiary Education Concerns
The welfare of university teachers, funding for academic research, recruitment challenges and infrastructure development in public universities featured prominently when President John Dramani Mahama met the leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the Presidency.
The meeting, held on Thursday, provided an opportunity for the association to present concerns affecting its members and raise broader national issues requiring government attention.
The UTAG delegation was led by its National President, Professor Vera Ogeh Fiador, and presented a range of matters relating to conditions of service, the administration of tertiary education and the resources available to universities to support teaching and research.
Among the issues raised were the establishment of a National Research Fund, the Book and Research Allowance for university teachers, concerns about the retirement age of university lecturers, recruitment and emoluments, and the demand for the removal of the Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
The association also raised concerns about import duty exemptions for vehicles and research equipment belonging to its members, as well as the provision of student hostels on university campuses.
Other matters discussed included illegal small-scale mining, popularly known as galamsey, the ongoing Constitutional Review Commission process and the state of the economy.
The Minister for Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, who participated in the meeting, assured UTAG of the Government’s commitment to protecting academic freedom and supporting the development of tertiary education.
He explained that the Government’s focus was to provide the necessary infrastructure and institutional support to improve the quality of education, while allowing universities and academics the freedom to carry out their teaching, research and other academic responsibilities.
On the disagreement between UTAG and the Director-General of GTEC, the Minister briefed the meeting on the work of an arbitration panel led by the Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Clement Apaak, which is expected to help resolve the impasse.
The panel follows earlier concerns raised by UTAG over the leadership of the regulatory body and the association’s demand for changes at the Commission. The Education Ministry had previously constituted a committee chaired by Dr Apaak to examine UTAG’s petition concerning GTEC’s leadership. Ghana News Agency+1
President Mahama called for an amicable resolution of the disagreement, expressing the hope that the parties would find common ground through the ongoing engagement.
On the provision of accommodation for students, the President informed the delegation of Government’s intention to partner with the private sector to construct student hostels on the campuses of public universities.
The proposed partnership is expected to bring private investment into the development of campus accommodation and help address the demand for hostel facilities among students in public tertiary institutions.
The President also addressed concerns surrounding recruitment into the universities, particularly the financial clearance process. He explained that the tight compensation budget covering public sector workers required the Minister for Finance to manage financial clearances for recruitment across government institutions.
He noted, however, that as the economy continued to expand following the recovery, the Government expected to have greater fiscal space to respond to the needs of public sector workers, including university teachers.
President Mahama said an expanding economy would provide a bigger national revenue base, creating room for improvements in conditions of service and the consideration of related demands.
The meeting forms part of engagements between Government and stakeholders in the tertiary education sector on issues affecting university administration, academic work and the welfare of teaching staff.
UTAG, which represents university teachers across the country, has consistently engaged government and other stakeholders on sustainable funding for higher education, improved conditions of service, research support and the protection of academic freedom.
The discussions with President Mahama provided an opportunity for the association to present its concerns directly to Government and for the President and the Education Ministry to outline ongoing efforts and possible approaches to addressing them.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
