Government does not seek to stifle academic freedom – Minister

General News of Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com

2019-04-10

Education Minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh rejected reports that the government is secretly seeking to take control of public universities through the university bill it has drafted.

The minister would have had an interview with the abcnews online news portal.

According to him, the adoption of the bill is not intended to control or hinder academic freedom as it is suggested, but to bring together in a single policy all public universities to allow a field of This activity is better regulated and well defined, as has been done in other countries of the world.

He expressed his belief that the bill, once pbaded, will improve higher education in the country and put it at the same level as other universities in the world.

"The president gave his word to all the vice chancellors, when they met him and badured him that the common admission platform would be ready to be used during the course of the year. 39, academic year 2021, "he said.

He added that "the vice-chancellors paid a courtesy call on the president and he declared forcefully that he and his government had nothing to do with the choking of academic freedom. . In fact, this draft bill is the first in the country to attempt to define what we mean by academic freedom with the help of examples from the way other countries look at it. have developed. If this needs to be improved, we hope, but the government does not want, should not and does not intend to restrict academic freedom in any way. "

The minister also said that the purpose of the Tertiary Act was to bring all universities under the same regime in order to remedy the situation in which some universities were governed by laws that were unconstitutional.

According to him, the bill will improve the governance, leadership and accountability of public universities.

The new bill, he said, had not been finalized yet, adding that the government was open to all suggestions and contributions from stakeholders, particularly university unions, lecturers and academics. academics.

He stated that the government had stated its position but was more than happy to engage any stakeholder on the issues related to the bill in order to improve and obtain it. membership of all parties concerned.

"The draft bill has been distributed to all universities and trade unions, with the warning that they should leave us suggestions for improving the bill before we can formally submit it to Cabinet before present it to Parliament and have it adopted, "he said. .

He added that "we are therefore organizing a stakeholder consultation. The government has declared its intentions fairly, it has nothing hidden, it is open to suggestions, it is open to discussions on the various clauses and it has opened its views. "

The bill, which is yet to be presented to Parliament, has already provoked negative reactions from the ministry among the leaders of certain universities and lecturers.

Professor Ivan Addae Mensah, former vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana, has been badociated with growing opposition to the bill on universities, calling it "dangerous and totally useless".

He said the bill and its proposals are late and will bring back universities in the sixties.

"I think this bill is very dangerous and totally useless. Ghana's constitution aims to protect tertiary institutions from government interference. If the bill says that the president can appoint the chancellor, it means that he can disappoint the chancellor. In all, the president can appoint about 5 board members and it is dangerous, "he said.

The minority called the proposals worrying. According to them, the bill, which is yet to be tabled in Parliament, has serious consequences for the academic freedom and autonomy of universities.

Peter Nortsu, spokesperson for the minority in charge of education, asked for more votes, like Professor Gyampo, against the bill.