President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the newly constituted Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba, to do all within its power to find an amicable settlement to the misunderstandings at the university
Speaking at the school’s 21st Congregation over the weekend, the President urged the council to also institute measures to seal the loopholes of waste and abuse of public funds at the university
A High Court in Winneba, on July 14, ordered the then Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Mawutor Avoke, to step aside until a case brought against him was fully determined.
The petitioner, one Supi Kwayera, was challenging the legitimacy of the then Governing Council of the university.
According to him, the mandate of the univeristy’s previous council expired in November 2013 but the Ministry of Education failed to constitute a new council for the university and, rather, allowed the defunct council to continue its work.
The university, through its lawyers, applied to the Court to dismiss the suit but their application was dismissed by the Court.
Unhappy with the Court’s decision to suspend the former Vice Chancellor, some members of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the university declared a strike.
The government recently dissolved the old Governing Council and constituted a new one to steer the affairs of the university.
President Akufo-Addo said finality was gradually being brought to the matter and urged the various stakeholders to respect the court’s rulings on the case.
“The current challenges, in my view, can be best surmounted if all stakeholders act within the confines of the law and respect the rule of law”.
“Court decisions are not always pleasant, but they are, in principle, the surest way of resolving disputes. Let us not through our utterances, actions and inactions undermine the authority of our courts,” he said.
He urged the lecturers to resume full academic duties and use the university’s processes to resolve any outstanding grievances.
He commended the graduands for their hardwork and dedication to complete their course at the university and urged them to help address the challenges in the country with the knowledge they had acquired.
“In talking about challenges, yes, there will be many ahead of you. But one thing I know, perhaps, better than anybody in Ghana at the moment, is that no challenge is too great to surmount. The Bible tells us in Galatians that we will reap a harvest if we do not give up,” he said.
President Akufo-Addo commended the school for committing to excellence in the training of teachers and other personnel to contribute to the development of the country.
He said many doubted the capacity of the school when it first introduced distance education in the country many years ago to extend education to the doorsteps of students but the university proved its doubters wrong.
“UEW is now a pacesetter in distance learning, with 37 study centres spread across the country. This is truly remarkable, and one which must be emulated by other institutions of higher learning across the country”.
“The faculty of this university have played major roles in reforming and transforming the educational structures of the country. I speak of the pioneering work undertaken by UEW’s first Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jophus Anamuah-Mensah, who, in 2002, was chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Review of Education Reforms in Ghana, tasked with reviewing the entire educational system in the country, with the goal of making it responsive to current challenges. As we all know, he did a stellar job,” he said
The President said UEW was set up as the citadel of teacher education in Ghana, with the mandate of producing professional teachers for the country, and for the continent of Africa and commended the school for its contribution to the economic development of the country.
The acting Vice Chancellor of the university, Rev. Fr. Prof. A. Afful-Broni, also congratulated the students and urged them to work hard and contribute to the development of the nation where ever they found themselves.
By Yaw Kyei
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