The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), has kicked against the decision by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to suspend accreditation of new academic programmes across all public universities.

Professor Mamudu Akudugu, National President of UTAG, delivering his inaugural address at the 21st Biennial UTAG National Congress in Tamale, said the decision was not in the interest of tertiary education in the country.

He said; “The world is evolving so rapidly that our academic programming must continuously evolve to keep pace. So, for a regulator to decide that it will stop accrediting new academic programmes, is a case of putting rot in the spokes of success.”

The 21st Biennial UTAG Congress, attended by UTAG Executive from all public universities across the country, was to take important decisions for the way forward of UTAG as well as swear into office its new leadership.

It was on the theme: “Labour Unionism and Socio-economic Transformation in Ghana: Can UTAG be the Pacesetter?

Professor Akudugu asserted that the universities always applied for accreditation for new academic programmes, adding it was GTEC, which always delayed in issuing certificates of accreditation for the programmes.

He called on GTEC to fix its problems to expedite work on applications for programme accreditation rather than put the blame on the universities, saying, “We believe that GTEC is probably poorly resourced and so they should demand that they be better resourced to perform their duties.”

He said, moving forward, UTAG would demand a review or an amendment of the GTEC Act (Act 1023) because “It has made the Director-General of GTEC the headmaster of Vice-Chancellors and this is not a productive arrangement for our universities.

“We should allow the universities the space to innovate in their academic programming and sustain our academic freedom.”

Professor Akudugu spoke about industrial harmony and called on the Government to implement without any further delay the negotiated conditions of service of UTAG members.

He called for the review of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) or to expand the levels and notches of the SSSS to accommodate UTAG members or take them out of the SSSS completely.

He said decision-making in the country should be based on empirical research that guarantees success, as well as urged the Government to dedicate one per cent of the country’s GDP to a national research fund to support it.

Professor Seidu Al-Hassan, Vice-chancellor of the University for Development Studies, who chaired the event, called for unity amongst UTAG members to make it difficult for anybody to look down upon them.

Professor Al-Hassan expressed the need for research and academic work to be relevant to societal needs and to help solve its problems.

Professor Solomon Nunoo, immediate past UTAG National President, expressed gratitude to members for their support during his tenure.

Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, Minister for Education, whose speech was read on his behalf by a representative of GTEC, expressed his readiness to resolving all legitimate demands of all employees under the Ministry to ensure industrial harmony.