Public University Bill suspended after UTAG, GRASAG and others kicked against it
In order to allow for further stakeholder participation, Parliament postponed the Public University Bill at the consideration stage.
On Tuesday, the bill went through its second reading.
The suspension follows a meeting with stakeholders on Wednesday morning between Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the Chairman of the Education Committee.
UTAG, GRASAG, Vice-Chancellors and other institutional members opposed the bill, claiming that it violates the independence of academia and the autonomy of public universities.
Copies of the revised bill were made available to all agitating stakeholders for their inputs when William Quaittoo, Chairman of the Committee on Education, addressed the media in Parliament.
According to him once all stakeholders agree with the material, the bill remains suspended.
On Wednesday, Dr. Lloyd Amoah, Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Ghana, called on the government to withdraw the Bill saying it is hostile to the growth of the country's public universities.
The bill seeks to micromanage public universities and to stem academic freedom in the country, according to him.
“What this bill seeks to do is to bring in the executive to micromanage how we run our universities. Opinions and thinking can not necessarily always be in sync. What has happened with the UTAG of UG and our parent body has been a kind of dichotomy in the way the bill has been viewed.
“We have made it clear that this bill is inimical to the running of public universities in this country and must be withdrawn. The bill affects all of us in this country especially the coming generation. Those of us leading this fight are not doing it for ourselves and we can’t do it for ourselves.”
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