Bawumia’s intervention on Public Universities Bill insincere - Clement Apaak
Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament Dr. Clement Apaak has described Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as insincere.
The legislator says the supposed meeting between the Vice President and some stakeholders in the education sector over the Public University Bill (PUB) passage is insincere.
He indicated that the second gentleman of the land should not behave as if he knew nothing about the bill because he was part of the government and cabinet meetings that gave the bill approval before it was brought to parliament.
He said the Vice President has been part of the processes that saw the bill brought before parliament hence cannot pretend he knew nothing about it.
UTAG asks members to calm down as parliament suspends PUB All processes leading to the passage of the Public Universities Bills (PUB) has been suspended. This follows a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) with the Vice-President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on Wednesday, 16 December 2020. In a statement issued by UTAG and co-signed by its National President, Prof Charles Marfo and its National Secretary, Dr Eric K.K. Abavare, the association of university lecturers stated that the meeting was held to “express our disgust with the rush in sending the bill to Parliament without completing the agreed stakeholder engagements”.
Public Universities Bill halted after Bawumia’s intervention Wed, 16 Dec 2020
The government has placed ice on the controversial Public Universities Bill (PUB) for now after Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, met with the leadership of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) among others.
Members of academia have been against the bill, arguing it curtails academic freedom and autonomy of public universities.
The Chairman of the Select Committee on Education in Parliament, William Quaitoo, said until other stakeholders give their input the bill will not return to the House.
UTAG has expressed satisfaction with the decision.
“At the meeting, the Vice President, on behalf of Government, upheld the directive of the Speaker of Parliament that the Parliamentary Select Committee of Education should carry out through stakeholder engagements and report back to Parliament. Therefore, all processes leading to the passage of the PUB has been halted for now.
In a statement issued by UTAG and co-signed by its National President, Prof Charles Marfo and its National Secretary, Dr Eric K.K. Abavare, the association of university lecturers stated that the meeting was held to “express our disgust with the rush in sending the bill to Parliament without completing the agreed stakeholder engagements”. It continued: “At the meeting, the Vice-President, on behalf of the government of Ghana, upheld the directive of the Speaker of Parliament that the Parliamentary Select Committee of Education (PSCE) should carry out thorough stakeholder engagements and report to Parliament.” UTAG noted: “Therefore, all processes leading to the passage of the bill has been halted for now.”