Vice Chancellors Ghana has charged the new Council of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) to ratify all decisions taken by the previous Council.
It maintained in a statement that the previous Council was backed by the then President in all decisions taken after its tenure expired in November, 2013.
A Winneba High Court on Friday, July 14 ordered the Vice Chancellor, Professor Mawuto Avoke, and Chief Finance Officer Dr Theophilus Senyo Ackorlie to step aside, claiming they were appointed by a de facto Council.
The Court presided over by Justice George Ato Mills-Graves asked the Vice Chancellor to hand over to the Pro Vice Chancellor.
The order led to a declaration of an indefinite strike by the University’s lecturers, who claim the order had a cascading effect on their activities.
In a statement published in the Wednesday edition of the Daily Graphic, Vice Chancellors Ghana insinuated that by the High Court’s order, the graduation of over 67,000 students, the appointments of a Principal for the College of Technology Education, Librarian and promotions of 16 Senior Lecturers to Associate Professors should be null and void.
Nonetheless, the Council had the backing of the then President to continue though its term had expired.
“It is on record at the Ministry of Education, the National Council for Tertiary Education and even in the Hansard of Parliament that the Ministry of Education had transmitted a letter from the presidency to the effect that the Councils whose tenure was expiring should continue in office and perform their responsibilities until a new one was put in place.
“It was during this extended period that the appointments, promotions and graduations referred to supra were made.”
The vice chancellors of Ghana’s public universities want the new Council for UEW to ratify the decisions of the previous one “within the ambit of fairness”.
The suit was filed by Supi Kofi Kwayera, a resident of Winneba, where the University’s main campus is.
By Emmanuel Kwame Amoh|3news.com|Ghana