[WATCH VIDEO]Lecturers may return to class on Monday – UTAG UG president indicates

 

The President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), University of Ghana Chapter, Dr Samuel Nkumbaan has indicated that members of the Association may resume academic activities on Monday.

In an interaction with Israel Laryea on JoyNews’ AM Show on Thursday, Dr Samuel Nkumbaan said, following the MoU signed with the Ministry of Education and the National Labour Commission, UTAG will convene a meeting to decide on the way forward.

“By the close of day today [Thursday] it should be possible to convene emergency meetings, even via zoom or in the course of the day tomorrow. It should be possible for all campuses to be able to have convened emergency meetings at which these issues are explained to members and their mandate sought, to suspend the action,” he said.

He noted that, “everybody appreciates the fact that unless we are on the negotiation table, we cannot get what we want, and we can’t also be at the negotiation table whilst the action is on.”

“So I think by close of today, by close of tomorrow, all campuses will be in the position to revert to the National Secretariat for a determination to be made,” he stressed.

Touching on the effect of the strike on the students, the President of UTAG UG noted that the students understand the conditions in which lecturers work, noting that the situation may discourage those who may want to venture into the profession.

“They appreciate the gravity of the matter by virtue of the fact that, there are many of them that probably would be willing to finish and come back to be lecturers.

“So to realize that this is the position by way of conditions of service of lecturers, is demoralizing,” the President observed.

Dr Nkumbaan further said, the students appreciate that one will give off his/her best when he/she is well motivated “and so if by virtue of your condition, you are not motivated and you go into the classroom, certainly the impact on the students will be felt.”

“And I suppose many of us are also parents, we have children in the universities and they know our circumstance and so many of these are the reasons for which some of the students can appreciate and will be calling on the government rather to listen to us and to give us what it is that we deserve, then we can also be in the position to deliver our best to our students,” he said.

UTAG has been demanding the implementation of a 2012 Single Spine package which put entry-level lecturers on a salary of $2,084.

Thus, in an MoU, UTAG and the government have agreed to begin negotiations on the matter from Monday, August 23, 2021.