The Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of showing disinterest in technical education in the country.
According to them, after assuring TUTAG of inaugurating governing councils for the various Technical and Polytechnics by June this year, the Education Minister, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has since been silent on the issue even though the time has elapsed.
Addressing a press conference in Koforidua on Friday, August 18 to express their grievances, David Worwui-Brown, General Secretary of TUTAG, threatened that if by Friday August 25, 2017 the government has still not inaugurated the councils, they would advise themselves.
“Interestingly, TUTAG has observed that councils of other tertiary institutions have been inaugurated however no council of a single technical university has been inaugurated,” he lamented.
He emphasized that the councils are the policy makers of the institutions and without the councils the technical universities are saddled with numerous challenges which require needed attention, including the inability of students to graduate.
He criticised government over the issue indicating that “since the conversion of the polytechnics to technical universities, the current government before assuming office, had been castigating the policy and after winning power is continuing in the grand agenda to kill the initiative of the previous government.”
He was of the view that the delay in constitution governing councils reinforces the perception that government is not prioritising technical education.
TUTAG is also calling on government to expedite action towards conversion of the remaining polytechnics to technical universities.
