The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has suspended its strike action declared Monday, September 18 to protest a court decision against deposed Vice-Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW).
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG had directed its members at universities across the country to withdraw their services in solidarity with former Vice-Chancellor of the UEW, Professor Mawutor Avokeh, and the Finance Officer of the university who have been removed from office by a High Court in Winneba, Central Region.
The Court on July 14, 2017, ordered Professor Mawutor Avokeh and the Finance Officer to step aside until a case brought against them before the court that the two were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council was resolved.
However, National President of UTAG, Dr Harry Agbanu justified the call for the solidarity protest when he wrote in a statement: “It is our [UTAG’s] firm belief that the issue at the UEW is an attack on academic freedom and thus affects all public universities in Ghana.”
But after an emergency meeting by the same UTAG NEC on Monday, the Association resolved to “suspend with effect its withdrawal of teaching service,” and allow the Vice Chancellors Ghana (VG) to amicably resolve the problems at UEW.
The strike itself suffered many setbacks as it received little or no backing at all from university teachers.
Checks by Joy News indicate teaching and learning was going on smoothly at the University of Education, Winneba and other public universities across the country.
At the University of Ghana, Ghana’s premier university, academic work proceeded smoothly.