The ongoing strike by Technical University Tutors of Ghana (TUTAG) has left students of Kumasi Technical University (KsTU) stranded on campus.
When The Chronicle visited the university yesterday, it observed that the main entrance to the school had a banner, with inscription: “TUTAG Kumasi Chapter” written on it.
The paper also noticed that lecture rooms were largely empty, with students standing or sitting in groups conversing.
Final year students are especially worried about this development. A section of the students who spoke to The Chronicle expressed worry about the strike, saying it is going to have a negative toll on their academic activities.
Mike Chansudom, one of the students, said lectures just started and they were looking forward to a smooth academic business, only to hear about the lecturers’ strike.
He said: “We do not know what is going on because our results are not even in, which is very worrying to the student body.”
Asked what he wanted government to do to save the situation, Chansudom, who is vying for Student Representative Council (SRC) President of the KsTU, told The Chronicle the government and TUTAG must come to a consensus, adding that the lecturers have needs that should be met, just like government also has challenges in meeting TUTAG’s demands.
Mansuru, another student, told this reporter that the strike has affected the students academically. According to Mansuru, most of the students are leaving campus to go home, having heard about the TUTAG industrial action. The first year B’tech Agric Business student expressed optimism that the strike would end soon for academic work to commence.
Osei Agye Yaw, also a student, noted that the semester has just started and that some of them have not even had their first lecture. He, therefore, appealed to government to meet TUTAG to resolve their differences for them, so that students will be able to go back to the lecture halls.
Manu John, another student offering Secretaryship Management, on his part said the strike has come to add to their woes after staying at home for a long time because of Covid-19.
The visibly-worried student continued that, they reported this (Monday) morning only to learn about the TUTAG industrial action, which “has made some of us confused and idlying around.” He, like others, also appealed to the government to listen to the lecturers and give them what they are demanding.
TUTAG had warned about its intention to embark on industrial action starting from June 13, 2021.
The National Labour Commission (NLC), however, asked them to suspend their strike action and come to the negotiation table, but they ignored the directive and have laid down their tools.
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