Government has rescinded its decision to pass on the full cost of utilities to public universities and other tertiary institutions.
This was revealed by the Minister of Education, Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang when the Ministry took its turn at the “Meet the Press” series in Accra.
The decision was repealed after the Minister made a special submission to cabinet on why education institutions should be exempted.
Cabinet after consideration “has provided the exemption,” she said.
Government has earlier announced a decision to wean all government agencies off its budgetary allocation on utility subsidies.
School Representative Councils (SRCs) of the various public universities expressed their dissatisfaction at this decision and also threatened to demonstrate if the government did not rescind its decision by Thursday June 5, 2014.
According to the Education Minister, a meeting involving stakeholders was underway to find alternative means of paying the utility bills of the Public Universities.
“There is a meeting taking place between the ministry of finance and the relevant agencies to dialogue on innovative ways of meeting our bills” she said.
Meanwhile, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has welcomed the government’s decision.
In an interview with Citi News, the President of NUGS, Samuel Darkwa Bimfoh said: “It is a welcoming development that the government through the ministry of education has finally come out to say that they are going to take care of the utility bills”.
By: Magdalene Larnyoh/citifmonline.com/Ghana