- "This government does not intend to control what is going on at the University of Ghana. It intends to set up the principles, framework and guidelines for which when you are doing your own things you have to abide by, and there is nothing wrong with it."
Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, the Minister of Education, has stated that government has no intention of interfering in the operations of public universities as being suggested in some quarters.
Speaking in an interview with Kojo Mensah on the Asaase Breakfast Show on Friday, the education minister explained that government only wants public universities to operate by a set of guidelines.
“This government does not intend to control what is going on at the University of Ghana. It intends to set up the principles, framework and guidelines for which when you are doing your own things you have to abide by, and there is nothing wrong with it,” he said.
Dr Prempeh added: “Shareholders of a company do attend annual general meetings to decide what their companies can do even though they have directors of the company and board. So the fact that all public universities are 100 percent owned and serviced by government and every staff in the university is paid by the government of Ghana and this government is intending to say operate with this guideline, what is wrong, it is not about University of Ghana.”
Dr Prempeh was unhappy about attempts by some stakeholders to politicise the Public Universities Bill (PUB) to score cheap political points.
Speaking on the same programme, Prof Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana, stressed that the PUB is problematic.
“Our challenge or the fear being expressed is that if you look at Article 8 Clause 1 Section F to G, you see that the nominees there are appointed by the Director General of Ghana Education Service to serve on the council, who intends appoints the nominees.
“The fear is that he who appoints the director general, if government appoints the DG of education then the fear is that he may intend appoint people who will serve his interest,” Prof Gyampo claimed.
According to him, the bill if passed in its current state will undermine academic freedom in public universities.
“People who are going to be affected by this bill are saying it is problematic, I think the reasonable thing for the policy maker to do is to listen and change it,” he added.
Debate suspended
Debate on the Public Universities Bill was suspended on Wednesday 16 December, pending further consultation.
The decision to suspend the bill follows a consultative meeting between the vice-president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and the select committee on education.
Before the suspension of the bill, stakeholders such as the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), vice-chancellors and other members of academia had kicked against the bill, arguing that it frowns on academic freedom and the autonomy of public universities.
Input secure
Speaking to the media in his capacity as chairman of the education committee, William Quaittoo said that Parliament will not pass the Public Universities Bill until it receives more advice from UTAG and other interest groups.
He said that during their meeting, the vice-president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, assured the leadership of UTAG that their input has been and will continue to be taken into account in the draft legislation before it returns to Parliament.
Fred Dzakpata
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