Leadership of the Association has asked its members to return to the classroom today [Friday].

This comes after a meeting between the Association and the National Labour Commission (NLC) on Thursday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”odUN3OUHqneBBCCfZ6N5XumLgnCp6h68″]TUTAG has been asked to hold consultative meetings with the Ministry of Education and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to address its grievances.

Members of TUTAG stayed out of the classroom for four days in protest of the amendment of certain sections of the 2016 Act that establishes Technical universities.

The amendment bill which is currently before Parliament seeks to grant powers to the NCTE to perform functions which TUTAG argues fall within the purview of the Governing Councils, the Academic Boards and the Principal Officers of  Technical Universities in Ghana.

Speaking to Citi News the General Secretary of TUTAG, David Worwui Brown, said Association will resume its action if nothing useful comes out of the consultative meetings with stakeholders.

“The Ministry and the National Council of Tertiary Education have consulted with our Association so the grey areas that we have, we will see how best we can streamline them for our mutual benefit. Perhaps we will also be meeting the parliamentary select committee on education. That may be a final meeting as to consider whichever amendments that the Minister would have made to the proposed amendments. Based on that we will suspend our strike and then resume the strike if our consultation does not yield any result.”

TUTAG had called on the President Akufo-Addo and the Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in October 2017, to stop the NCTE’s illegal directives being imposed on the various technical universities.

TUTAG had indicated that the NCTE is usurping the powers of technical universities against the provisions of Technical Universities Act.

It said the NCTE is abusing the powers that were imposed on it during the period when the various polytechnics were being converted into Technical Universities.

TUTAG said despite the inauguration of the various Councils, the NCTE is still issuing directives to the technical universities which are, in its view, in a crystal clear contravention of the provisions of the Technical Universities Act.

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By: Marian Ansah & Naa Kwarmah Siaw Marfo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The meeting comes on the back of the refusal of TUTAG to call off its strike despite an order by the Commission to do so.

[contextly_sidebar id=”sagPi9aZOdHD3p8fYy4soG6DkMbxkKCK”]The Association’s decision is in protest of the amendment of certain sections of the 2016 Act that establishes Technical universities.

The amendment bill which is currently before Parliament seeks to grant powers to the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to perform functions which TUTAG argues fall within the purview of the Governing Councils, the Academic Boards and the Principal Officers of Universities in Ghana.

The Ministry of Education is expected to be represented at today’s meeting.

The Technical University’s Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) had called on the President Akufo-Addo and the Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in October 2017, to stop the National Council for Tertiary Education’s (NCTE) illegal directives being imposed on the various technical universities.

TUTAG had indicated that the NCTE is usurping the powers of technical universities against the provisions of Technical Universities Act.

It accused the NCTE of abusing the powers that were imposed on it during the period when the various polytechnics were being converted into Technical Universities.

TUTAG said despite the inauguration of the various Councils, the NCTE is still issuing out directives to the technical universities which are, in its view, in a crystal clear contravention of the provisions of the Technical Universities Act.

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By: Marian Ansah & Naa Kwarmah Siaw Marfo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post TUTAG meets NLC over sit down strike appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The amendment bill which is currently before Parliament seeks to grant powers to the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to perform functions which TUTAG argues fall within the purview of the Governing Councils, the Academic Boards and the Principal Officers of Universities in Ghana.

The Chairman of the Ho chapter of TUTAG, Albert Laurent Sakabutu, told Citi News the action will begin with a sit down strike from today to Monday.

“We will have an emergency meeting on all campuses and we’ll tell our people the roadmap for the strike action. It will begin with a sit down strike till Monday and we’ll continue with a roadmap that will be agreed upon on by close of day today. It is nationwide in all the institutions,” he said.

The Technical University’s Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), called on the President Akufo-Addo and the Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in October 2017, to stop the National Council for Tertiary Education’s (NCTE) illegal directives being imposed on the various technical universities.

“The NCTE’s directive on ratification of Harmonized Conditions of Service [which varies from one Technical University to the other] contravenes several sections of the Labour Act 2003, Act 651, which relates to the right of workers to negotiate terms and conditions of employment in Ghana. The right of staff of technical universities to negotiate the relevant terms and conditions of service will be denied or severely curtailed if the proposed procedure by NCTE prevails,” Regional TUTAG President, Peter Awuni stated.

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By: Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post TUTAG begins strike over proposed Technical Uni amendment bill appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

There is currently an attempt by Parliament to amend portions of the Act.

[contextly_sidebar id=”msgcLQZglYILeG851mPsf2vkxIea98yB”]According to the Chairman of the Ho chapter of TUTAG, Albert Laurent Sakabutu, the amendment is going to make it impossible for technical universities to do anything on their own without recourse to the Ministry of Education and the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE).

“We are being told that anything you want to acquire in terms of property you need to seek to approval from the NCTE, this is in clear contravention with the Public Procurement law and the Public Finance Management Act,” he said.

He noted that what the Ministry of Education and the NCTE are up to is nothing but disruption.

“When you look at section 27, which they seek to amend, that section has given the power to our governing council to enact status, now the ministry together with NCTE are coming up to say we need a harmonized status, so they are finding ways and means of seeking the idea of harmonized status into our law, and so they want to amend that section 27. We feel that this government is up to mischief, and this mischief must not be allowed to stand,” he said.

The Technical University’s Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG), called on the President Akufo-Addo and the Minister for Education, Matthew Opoku Prempeh, in October 2017, to stop the National Council for Tertiary Education’s (NCTE) illegal directives being imposed on the various technical universities.

“The NCTE’s directive on ratification of Harmonized Conditions of Service [which varies from one Technical University to the other] contravenes several sections of the Labour Act 2003, Act 651, which relates to the right of workers to negotiate terms and conditions of employment in Ghana. The right of staff of technical universities to negotiate the relevant terms and conditions of service will be denied or severely curtailed if the proposed procedure by NCTE prevails,” Regional TUTAG President, Peter Awuni stated.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post TUTAG to strike over NTCE’s attempt to ‘undermine’ technical universities appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to TUTAG, the NCTE is usurping the powers of technical universities against the provisions of Technical Universities Act.

TUTAG, at a press conference in Takoradi accused the NCTE of abusing the powers that were imposed on it during the period when the various polytechnics were being converted into Technical Universities.

[contextly_sidebar id=”gu7SpxFyrPo3bVEJ2gADZQMIFCS1WlGI”]The transition made it impossible for the various councils to be inaugurated.

TUTAG said despite the inauguration of the various Councils, the NCTE is still issuing out directives to the technical universities which are, in its view, in a crystal clear contravention of the provisions of the Technical Universities Act.

“The NCTE’s directive on ratification of Harmonized Conditions of Service [which varies from one Technical University to the other] contravenes several sections of the Labour Act 2003, Act 651, which relates to the right of workers to negotiate terms and conditions of employment in Ghana. The right of staff of technical universities to negotiate the relevant terms and conditions of service will be denied or severely curtailed if the proposed procedure by NCTE prevails,” Regional TUTAG President, Peter Awuni stated.

He maintained that “the NCTE’s directive regarding the enactment of the Harmonized Statutes of a Technical University contravenes section 26 of the [Technical University’s] Act, which confers the powers of enacting statutes on the council of each Technical University. It is therefore palpable the NCTE is seeking to usurp the powers of the councils of the technical universities in relation to the enactment of statutes.”

TUTAG is worried that the behavior of the NCTE sends a bad signal purporting to question the competencies and qualities of the personalities that make up the councils in the various universities in relation to developing proper guidelines and directives for the running of the universities.

The Technical Universities Act does not enjoin all technical universities to have harmonized statutes, agree harmonized conditions of service, or institute harmonized scheme of service for staff.

It is therefore calling on the President and the Minister of Education to call the National Council for Tertiary Education to order to prevent a possible legal suit.

“In view of the foregoing and the potential legal battle that may ensue with obvious repercussion for technical education in Ghana, we appeal to His Excellency the president of Ghana, the Minister of education and all stakeholders who have technical education at heart to call the NCTE to order. The NCTE is clearly acting ultra-vires relative to the matters.”

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NCTE usurping powers of Technical universities – Group appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The federation believes Ghana will be at an advantage if it signs the agreement.

President of the federation Anthony Sikpa told Citi Business News ‘government should sign it, it’s not just the trade arrangement that is involved we have among others the developmental, health aspects we are overlooking those ones’.

There has been enormous opposition from labour, civil society and the Christian council against any attempt by Ghana and ECOWAS to sign onto the EPA with the European Union.

There have also been calls by some business associations for government to sign onto the agreement.

The Ghana Export Promotion Authority (GEPA) for example believes Ghana’s goal of boosting the value of non-traditional exports to $5 billion by 2017 will be endangered if the government fails to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement.

While some members of the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) mostly the tuna, fruit processors and exporters and other companies exporting into the European market, are fully behind the agreement.

Ghana and the EU in 2007 initiated an interim EPA to conform to the world trade organization (WTO) requirements for preferential trade deals between WTO members.

President of the Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters Anthony Sikpa tells Citi Business News government must seek markets for local business.

‘This EPA is a trade agreement and its citizens of EU that are pushing their governments to do this and we should also push our governments to look for markets for us so let’s cut out emotions.

They will in turn allow you into their markets but they will not lower their standards for you, so we need to build the capacity of our people so wherever they are, they can compete well’. He said

By:  Vivian Kai Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @Viviankaimensah

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