Students of the Accra Technical University have expressed their displeasure with the temporary cessation of academic activities following some identified infrastructural inadequacies.
Lecturers of the institution laid down their tools a week ago, over what they described as “very deplorable” teaching and learning conditions.
[contextly_sidebar id=”fGcwXb4hFuior4mTZAgwzgELqcz3pfJH”]The strike is meant to mount pressure on the school authorities and get government to address their issues.
According to the Organizer of the Accra Technical University branch of the Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana, Hanson Obiri-Yeboah, “The working conditions as at now, at the Accra Technical University, are very deplorable and not in a good state. Lecturing and scheduling has become very difficult for both lecturers and students.”
“That’s why we’ve abandoned the class, and are seeking that management will address the situation as soon as possible, so that the learning environment will be healthy, safe and very conducive for teaching and learning,” he added.
Citi News’ Akosua Ofewaa Opoku, who visited the campus to find out how the “very deplorable” teaching and learning conditions looked like, reported that there were insufficient seats in the lecture halls to accommodate the large student population.
She also noted that, almost all sockets and fans in each classroom were not functioning, and there were also no projectors in any of the lecture halls, whereas places of convenience had a pungent smell.
In the Science Laboratory, equipment required for practicals, are unavailable, with the few available ones in bad shape.
Printers and toners are also unavailable, making teaching and learning difficult. There is also no public address system to lecture, compelling lecturers to scream on top of their voices.
These unpleasant conditions informed the strike action.
Even though students of the institution acknowledge that drastic measures must be taken in addressing the challenges, they have expressed concern about the disadvantages the strike will have on their academics.
They are therefore appealing to management to call off the strike as soon as possible for lectures to begin.
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By: Marie-Franz Fordjoe/citifmonline.com/Ghana