The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), has warned that universities may be forced to reduce admissions for the next academic year should government fail to lift the ban on employment at the various universities.
UTAG has consistently contended that the ban has stifled the delivery of quality education in the schools as the schools are unable to substitute lecturers who are no longer with them.
[contextly_sidebar id=”VyahBaol2vvE0Gp94q4JpPSRgheoNv6W”]Despite the complaints, government is yet to lift a ban which has been in place for almost three years.
The President of UTAG, Dr. Harry Agbanu spoke to Citi News on the associations concerns and he said government has been given till the beginning of the 2016/17 academic year to lift the ban or intake of students will be reduced.
According to the UTAG President, “ if by the beginning of the next academic year, the ban is not lifted to allow the universities to recruit the required number of staff that they need to effectively operate, we will insist that the number of students be cut down. If that is what governments want, that public universities should admit only a few students, then that is what is going to happen because we can’t continue to kill ourselves.”
Payment of research allowance must be streamlined
Commenting on the recent payment of the book and research allowance of lecturers, Dr. Agbanu also noted that UTAG wants government to streamline the processes for paying the book and research allowance for lecturers.
He lamented that the current system contributes to the excessive delays in the payment of the allowances.
“My suggestion is that Government itself, can it look at these processes and see whether there are areas that they can cut off without compromising on due diligence and then fast track these process for the money to be paid earlier that it is paid now,” Dr, Agbanu said.
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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana