Over 30 different categories of staff including senior lecturers of the University of Winneba have been “sacked, suspended and demoted arbitrary” for various reasons, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has claimed.
The executive committee of UTAG at an emergency meeting Tuesday concluded the latest turbulence at the university which has triggered protest from the student body clearly shows the Vice Chancellor, Rev Prof Anthony Afful-Broni, has failed in his mandate.
The latest crisis at the university was sparked by the dismissal of some senior staff of the university including the local president of UTAG, Dr. Frimpong Kakyire Duku and Dr Emmanuel Osei Sarpong, who was accused of insubordination and thus misconduct.
UTAG argued Prof Afful-Broni was at his investiture tasked to resolve the longstanding impasse between the university and some staff of the university, some of who took legal action against the university over some of its decisions.
The Vice Chancellor, according to UTAG, has been dabbling in “victimisation and polarisation” on the university campus, something it said, has been at variance with Akufo-Addo’s charge that the VC should reconcile all factions regarding the impasse which existed before his investiture.
In view of this, UTAG has backed the protests by the student body in demanding the resignation of Prof Afful Broni to save the university from experiencing a total shutdown like happened at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology late last year.
“Having failed his assigned task, it is the considered position of UTAG that Prof Afful-Broni should resign honourably to save the University of Education, Winneba, from further chaos,” National President of UTAG, Dr Eric Opoku Mensah, demanded.
Beyond the demand for the VC’s resignation, UTAG is also demanding that the University management unconditionally reinstate all the staff who have either been suspended, demoted or sacked.
It has also asked the university council to move in quickly to restore sanity on the university campus
“UTAG calls on UEW council to be up and doing as a responsible council that and make sure that calm is restored on campus,” Dr Opoku Mensah urged.
He also underscored the need for UTAG members at the various campuses of the university “to stand up for their legitimate rights and not allow themselves to be intimidated”.
“I repeat, [you] should not allow themselves to be intimidated for posterity will judge us by our actions today,” he said.
Meanwhile, UTAG said though it “identifies with the students protest,” it has asked the students “continue peacefully” to press home their demands.
By Stephen kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana