Members of the Senior Staff Association, the Ghana Association of University Administrators, the University Teachers Association of Ghana, and the Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, KNUST, have demonstrated against the dissolution of the University’s Governing Council.
The demonstrators, who marched through the campus clad in red, amidst chants with placards, called for the dissolved council to be restored.
Others also called for the removal of the Minister of Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
They insist that the government’s approach to addressing the impasse between the University management and the students is wrong.
Last week, students held a protest that turned violent over what they described as oppression and tyranny by University management.
They destroyed over 40 vehicles belonging to the school and some lecturers, and vandalized many offices in the administration block of the school.
Government later after a meeting with stakeholders dissolved the governing council and instituted an interim council.
This was after it had ordered an indefinite closure of the school.
Many other stakeholders have criticized the government over the decision and called on it to dissolve the interim council and restore the previous one.
But the government’s response to the challenge was to allocate two new slots on the interim council to UTAG and TEWU, but UTAG has said it only wants the former council restored.
The KNUST branches of UTAG and the Association of University Administrators, have already declared an indefinite strike over the matter.
TEWU and the Senior Staff Association of KNUST have also said that they will join in the strike if the government fails to restore the previous council.
The demonstrating groups also said they will continue to pile pressure on the government until the previous council is restored and given back their mandate as they say they will not recognize nor work with the new Interim Council.
Vice Chancellor asked to step aside
Meanwhile, the government has ordered the school’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Kwasi Obiri Danso, to step aside.
The government informed the Vice-Chancellor to hand over to the Pro Vice-Chancellor.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
