Lecturers cannot be blamed, Govt must be held to account for failing to fulfil its obligations – Apaak on UTAG strike

Dr. Clement Apaak, the Member of Parliament for Builsa South Constituency and the Deputy Ranking Member on Education has blamed government for the current strike by UTAG.

In a statement issued by the Deputy Ranking Member on Education, the Builsa South Member of Parliament accused government for failing to fulfil its agreed obligation to the members of UTAG.

”Government must be held to account for failing to fulfil its obligations to the Lecturers” Dr Clement Apaak stated.

Kindly read the full statement below

Education In Crisis – Public Universities

The ongoing strike by Lecturers of our Public Universities has generated a wider conversation regarding our Public Universities.

The stalled conditions of service negotiations between University Teachers’ Association (UTAG) and Government, and the withdrawal of teaching and related services by University Lecturers is unfortunate.

However the Lecturers cannot be blamed, Government must be held to account for failing to fulfil its obligations to the Lecturers.

Below are some of the issues affecting teaching and learning in our Public Universities.

1. Overburdened Lecturers due to large student numbers;

2. Poor condition of service of lecturers, leading to limited focus on the quality of teaching;

4. Limited research support and funding, leading to limited research output;

5. Lack of adequate infrastructure; lecture halls, residential facilities, office space etc;

6. Non provision of teaching aids such as laptops and horrible Internet and IT infrastructure and costs, in face of Covid;

7. Quality of students entering the universities challenging as some have poor English and writing ability.

Dr. Clement Apaak
M.P, Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member On Education