Accra Technical University Students Demonstrate Against Govt Over Striking Lecturers

Students of the Accra Technical Universities, formerly Accra Polytechnic, today marched through some principal streets in Accra to demonstrate their displeasure over what they say is the Akufo-Addo government’s actions and inactions which have infuriated their lecturers into going on strike.

Chanting anti government songs, the students stampeded their path to drive home their frustration over the long suspension of lectures, a thing they say will affect them negatively.

Members of the Technical Universities Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) have been striking for the past three weeks to press home demand for government to migrate them onto the salary structure of public university lecturers.

Government recently upgraded polytechnics into Universities but did not effect a commensurate upgrade in the pay grades of lecturers of these new universities. 

The Lecturers make the point that it is not fair that they teach at the same level of lecturers at the various public universities but are on comparatively lower pay grade. They make the point that due to the upgrade of Polytechnics into Universities, they have had to upgrade themselves as well.

Yesterday, a meeting that was convened by the Employment Ministry with the lecturers ended without an agreement after the government proposed to pay the lecturers entertainment and responsibility allowances instead.

Meanwhile, senior staffs of the University of Ghana have also expressed disquiet over government’s alleged plans to quietly migrate them onto the Ghana integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS).

The senior lecturers are concerned that the government is carrying out the migration without informing them about it.

Mr. Mac Laud, President of the University of Ghana Senior Staff Association has demanded that the government comes clear on the issue.

According to him, without informing the senior staff, the government has directed the association of Vice Chancellors, Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG) to effect the migration by the end of this month.

He said that was unacceptable and therefore demanded that the government must explain the directive before it can be accepted.