The government through the Ministry of Education has added two new members to the 7-member interim Governing Council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The two are representatives of the KNUST chapter of the University Teachers Association (UTAG), and the Teachers and Education Workers’ Union (TEWU).
[contextly_sidebar id=”QMismvLHq6DBl4hf11rn90mLbzz6EKAU”]According to the government, the decision is “to further enhance stakeholder involvement.”
This development by the government comes a day after the University teachers declared a strike over the manner in which the government was handling the crisis at the school.
The government’s decision to constitute the interim council on Thursday has generated a lot of resentment from stakeholders including the University teachers, University administrators and alumni of KNUST.
The lecturers, as well as the administrators on Friday, declared an indefinite strike over the matter, indicating that they do not believe the government should have dissolved the former governing council, especially as it had excluded the University’s Vice-Chancellor from the interim management council.
It is unclear if TEWU and UTAG have agreed to have representation on the council, as UTAG in declaring their strike said they do not recognize and will not work with the new council.
The lecturers’ position was based on their belief that the government failed to follow the due procedure in trying to resolve the impasse between the University management and the students that eventually led to the closure of the school.
The Education Ministry’s statement announcing the new membership of the Council indicated that;
“To further enhance stakeholder involvement, the government has through the Ministry of Education, included on the interim Council, a representative each from the University Teachers Association (UTAG) and Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) of the university. This brings the membership of the KNUST Interim Council to nine (9).
“This decision is to ensure that stakeholders and interest groups are well represented on the council during its three-month tenure within which it is expected to achieve its terms of reference.”
“It is expected that the Council will work with all stakeholders to achieve its objectives.”
Meanwhile, the global alumni of KNUST want the want the interim council to be dissolved and the previous one restored.
About the interim council
The interim council is being chaired by the Paramount Chief of Bompata Traditional Area, Nana Effa Apenteng.
Other members of the council are:
- Prof. Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson
- Dr. Edward Baffoe-Bonnie
- Madam Hilda Haggar Ampadu
- Prof. Joshua Ayarkwa
- Mrs. Abena Antwi
- Mr. Kelvin Sah
The mandate of the interim council are:
- To assume the powers of the governing council
- To establish the causes of the recent student riots on campus
- To establish the full extent and cost of damage caused
- To resolve the differences between university management and the student body
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
