The Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS), formerly, Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) is utterly disappointed in the failure of government to put up the governing Councils of the various Technical Universities and Polytechnics in the country.
The union has followed this issue for more than three months now but government keeps failing to put up these councils. It is obvious that, government is not interested in the welfare of Technical University and Polytechnic students. The absence of the governing councils which significantly hampers the smooth operations of technical universities is enough evidence to prove our case of government’s disinterest in technical education.
Students who have successfully completed their programmes of study for a year now; have no certificates due to the inability of these institutions to organise graduation ceremonies to award certificates. This, of course, is as result of the absence of a governing councils that have the mandate to ratify certificates.
The fate of these innocent students remains in limbo while authorities sit unconcerned. This is absolutely unacceptable and we demand that the right thing must be done as immediate as possible. It is also worthy of note that, a lot of these graduates have successfully completed their mandatory national service and still have no certificates to either look for jobs or further their education. This has created an unfair competition between Technical University/Polytechnic graduates and traditional university graduates with the latter having advantage in the search for jobs and other opportunities over we technical university graduates.
It would be recalled that sometime on 2 May 2017, we petitioned the Ministry of Education and copied the National Council for Tertiary Education (NCTE) to as a matter of urgency, facilitate the formation of the governing Councils of the Technical Universities and Polytechnics. This was followed with a series actions including the issuing of a two-week ultimatum to government to do the needful. We regret to say that till now, we have received no positive response from government. A clear bias and academic discrimination on the part of government manifested when councils for traditional universities were constituted and inaugurated around the same time with reckless abandonment of technical universities and polytechnics.
In view of the foregoing, the Ghana National Union of Technical Students (GNUTS) is by this release; declaring a nationwide strike in all technical universities and polytechnics. Students are to until government constitutes the councils, boycott lectures. Various SRCs are further expected to hang red flags on various campuses in preparation towards a mammoth nationwide demonstration on 5th September, 2017 against the indifferent posture of government towards technical education.
Long live Ghana
Long live technical education
………Signed……..
Abdul Rahaman Ibrahim
(Coordinating Secretary)
0540853931 /0266391843
Andrews Obeng Twumasi
(Public Relations Officer)
0244476924
