Management of public Universities may reduce drastically; the number of students in this year’s admission if government refuses to lift the ban placed on recruitment, but for now, it remains an appeal the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) is making to management, whilst it prepares to back it up with action.
Speaking at a news conference in Accra yesterday, President of UTAG, Dr. Harry L.K Agbanu, indicated that the current state of affairs places undue stress with varying health implications on the few serving faculty.
For about four years now, it has become impossible for authorities at the various public Universities to recruit staff because of the ban which has been placed on it, making most lecturers to be doing about 28 credit hours a week against National Accreditation Board’s 12 credit hours.
Dr. Agbanu, indicated that though the Ministry of Finance has given financial clearance for some one thousand and eighteen (1, 018) people to be recruited, it is woefully inadequate per the requests made by the universities in terms of the number of lecturers and other staff required for the smooth running of the institutions.
Doing the statistics, the president pointed out that out of the 1, 200 staff that University of Ghana requires, financial clearance was given for only 238 slots whiles 155 staff were financially cleared for recruitment at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
“University of Education, Winneba requested for the recruitment of 300 lecturers ...but the financial clearance given allows the university to recruit only 30 lecturers”, the President stated, adding that University of Cape Coast got only 44 out of the 80 lecturers they requested.
For University of Energy and Natural Resources, clearance given was not provided for it to be able to recruit even 1 person.
“It is not proper to continue to over stretch the capabilities of the few dedicated staff of the universities without concern for their wellbeing”, Dr. Agbanu, emphasized, saying “we cannot continue this way and expect good results and to make our institutions competitive in this globalized world”.
The UTAG president therefore called on Government to immediately lift the ban on recruitment of lecturers, and allow the universities the free hand to recruit as and when the need arises in accordance with the Acts that established the universities as has been the standard practice all over the world.
He also called on university management also to take immediate steps to halt the gradual erosion of the autonomy of their institutions of higher learning and prevent the wanton and gross interference of Governments in the administration of the institutions.
“UTAG would keenly observe the situation for two weeks and based on its evaluations, decide on the next line of action”, he warned.
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