The running mate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang has renewed calls demanding the suspension and total revocation of the Public Universities’ Bill (PUB).
The former Education Minister stated that the Bill which was drafted by the Akuffo- Addo government has an intent to pass it into law before the 2020 elections.
She said after her assessment, she revealed that the bill will erode progress made over the years by universities in Ghana and open doors to needless political interference in the advancement of knowledge.
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has mounted strong opposition to the passage of the controversial Bill.
The bill seeks to harmonise the governance, administration and accountability structures of public universities.
But after perusing bill, UTAG has said it “is at a loss regarding the rationale for the enactment of the legislation.”
“After a careful clause by clause analysis of the Bill, the passage of the Bill into law in its current form will create more problems for the running of the universities than they seek to resolve,” UTAG said in a statement.
Paramount among UTAG’s concerns are that the bill seeks to curtail academic freedom as established in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
These freedoms, UTAG says “thrives on the pillars of institutional autonomy, self-governance, individual rights and freedoms of academics and students, and tenure for academics.”
Adding her voice to such calls, Prof Opoku-Agyemang said, “A bill that will give the President the power to appoint and fire a vice-chancellor or allow the sector minister to give policy direction to universities which will have to be complied with; has no business being considered for passage into law.”
According to her, there is no justification for modifying the Bill, hence, it should be totally be revoked.
The NDC Party has stated that should the NPP pass the PUB into law, it will revoke the bill when it assumes the governance of the country..