The Africa Education Watch (EduWatch), has called for the immediate closure of public universities in Ghana following the prolonged strike action by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG).
In a statement, EduWatch called for the universities to be closed till the issue is totally resolved.
“We therefore, call on Vice Chancellors to close down all public universities until the UTAG strike is called off.”
EduWatch
According to EduWatch, in view of the increasing social and economic cost of staying on campus with no academic activity, the absence of academic direction for freshmen on campus, and the apparent lack of an imminent negotiated settlement of the impasse, it will be in the best interest of students; freshmen especially, and their families for the schools to be closed down.
Africa Education Watch stated that the continuous stay of student on various campuses without any academic activity is taking a huge socio-economic toll on the students and their parents.
“They continue to incur expenditure they otherwise wouldn’t have incurred if they were home.”
EduWatch
EduWatch posited that majority of students on campus are freshmen who have not even been matriculated and don’t even know how to go about anything academic related.
“These freshmen have no academic direction since they arrived in the universities to meet a university community without academic activity or supervision by their lecturers and counselors due to the strike.”
EduWatch
On the labor front, the three weeks of industrial action is yet to achieve any significant progress in negotiating a settlement to the impasse.
According to EduWatch, UTAG has been on strike over the past three weeks over what it described as the worsening conditions of service of the university teacher and the failure of the employer to address the plight of its members.
“It has been 22 working days since members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) embarked on an industrial strike demanding enhanced conditions of service. The strike was declared on the 10th of January 2022.”
EduWatch
The statement by EduWatch follow several attempts by the National Labor Commission and the Ministry of Education to get UTAG to resolve the impasse that have proven futile.
UTAG on negotiation
The Labour Division of the Accra Circuit Court, presided over by Justice Frank Rockson Aboadwe, ordered the two parties to consider settling their matters outside of the court and report back on Thursday, February 10.
The Commission consequently wrote to the Association, officially inviting its leadership to a meeting with government officials to chart a new course in finding a lasting solution to their grievances.
However, UTAG, through its counsel, Darko, Keli-Dentaa and Co, indicated that it will rather meet with government on the way forward and later report to the Commission.
“As much as we are grateful for the invitation to your proposed tripartite meeting, we honestly believe the more acceptable approach in the present circumstances is for our client to meet with the government side of the impasse to try to iron out their remaining differences.
UTAG
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