The secretary of the University of Ghana branch of UTAG, Prof Ransford Gyampoh has welcomed government’s decision to wean tertiary institutions off its support.

The move is part of measures government is introducing to rationalise its expenditure as it is forced under the current arrangement to dole out huge amounts of money to these subvented schools.

Prof Gyampoh believes this is long overdue and that universities can now charge appropriate fees to run effectively.

“The universities are unable to increase fees unless they go to parliament with approval. For so many years, they’ve not been able to do so. They’re not even able to increase fees.

“Compare the money that students in regular public universities pay to their counterparts in private universities in Ghana, and you would see that we are just not being serious with what we want to do in allowing the universities to run effectively,” he said lamented.

He disclosed that during the UTAG strike early this year, some members made a proposal to government to allow universities to run their own affairs.

This he said, would require students to pay more tuition in order to allow the universities to run effectively and efficiently.

“Some of the proceeds can be used to pay lecturers or beef up the infrastructure of these various universities, rather than always waiting for government subvention that delays and government subvention that are woefully inadequate that are not able to do anything for the university and for expanding their infrastructure.”