Former President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Dr. Harry Agbenu is pushing for the dismissal of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).
The Vice Chancellor Rev. Prof. Afful-Broni incurred the wrath of lecturers following what some described as arbitrary dismissal of lecturers which led to a violent student demonstration this week, leading to the closure of the school.
His style of administration has also been called into question by some lecturers, an assertion that has been given impetus by the Member of Parliament for Effutu, Alexander Afenyo-Markin whose constituency the school is situated.
The Education Minister, Matthew Opoku Prempeh had cause to broker peace between Afenyo-Markin and the Vice Chancellor, who are at loggerheads, expressing worry about the development at the university, which is “threatening the stability of peace at UEW”.
Read: UEW impasse: Minister brokers peace between Afenyo-Markin and VC
Speaking to the issue on TV3’s news analysis programme, The Key Point on Saturday, Dr. Harry Agbanu said the VC ought to go for peace to prevail.
“Having appointed a vice chancellor illegally, not following the status of the university, it’s a very wrong precedent which has been set.
“And that is the beginning of the problem, and so that is why we think that the first step to reconciliation should be the dismissal of the illegal vice chancellor hoisted over the university, who thinks that the university is his private property.”
He claimed the vice chancellor’s style of running the university is akin to how a basic school is administered.
“The university has become a private SHS or JHS somewhere that the headmaster or the proprietor gets up and decides how to walk, how to talk, who your friends should be, the books you read, the time you sleep, whether you are entitled to go to court or not. That must stop,” Dr. Agbenu asserted.
The former UTAG president is also asking for the removal of the Chairman of the Council of the UEW, claiming he “is not fit to be there because he has been vindictive”.
An “objective” person, he said, should be appointed in his stead by President Akufo-Addo to bring progress to the university.
“Over the years the council has shown that it is incapable of resolving the problem,” Dr. Agbenu claimed.
But Dr. Fred McBagonluri, President of the Academic City University, does not think sacking the Vice Chancellor now will save the situation.
“A think it is more than just asking him to step aside,” he noted, asking for cool heads to prevail and the appropriate steps taken to address the development there.
“Asking him to move out is a knee jerk reaction…most of the things happening is a knee jerk action,” he analysed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ernest Kwasi Amponsah, Director of Publication and Communications at UEW, told The Key Point the university council is likely to meet on Monday to deliberate on what transpired at the meeting with the Education Minister.
He also noted that the Vice Chancellor Rev. Prof. Afful-Broni is “concerned” about the current situation since it involves the state and welfare of students.
Source: 3news.com | Ghana