The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has reaffirmed government’s commitment not to interfere with the academic freedom guaranteed tertiary institutions in the country.
He said the government of President John Dramani Mahama would continue to hold true to the constitutional imperative of academic freedom in all tertiary institutions in the country especially, public tertiary institutions.
“I want to assure this council and the academic community that the government of President Mahama does not intend to micromanage the universities in the country. We will hold true to what the constitution guarantees of academic freedom in the public universities,” emphasised.
Mr Iddrisu gave the assurance when he inaugurated the 19-member governing council for the Dr Hilla Limann Technical University in Accra last Thursday.
The council is chaired by Professor Julius N. Fobil with Prof. Elias Nortaa Kunedest Sowley; Dr Lobnibe Jane-Francis Yirdong, representing the National Council for Tertiary Education; Rev. Ebenezer Ko Gyeke-Obuobi, rep of the Council for Technical and Vocational Education Training; Mr Osman Salanoon Kulendi, rep of the Association of Ghana Industries; Mr Alhassan Abudu Bafara, rep of the Conference of Heads of Assisted Senior High Schools; Mr Musah Karim, representing convocation, and Ms Isshaque Anlanwulo Shameema, rep, non-teaching staff.
Other members are; Mr Samadu Kamwine, rep, Teaching Staff Association; Mr Bontariba Enoch, the Junior Staff Association; Mr Zakaria Yakubu, rep, undergraduate students, Mr Annaakaa Waris, Alumnirep; Mr Edmund Kwablah Gbemu, rep, Ghana Employers Association; and Mr Saaka Adams, rep, Association of Principals of Technical Institutes.
Mr Thaddeus Sory, Mr Mohammed Alhassan and Ms Bridget Nakpele Dery are the president’s nominees on the council.
Touching on the DHLTU, the minister said government acknowledged the teething challenges that had confronted the institution since its establishment as a polytechnic some two decades ago.
He said one of the key challenges that had made the university unattractive was the lack of residential facilities and other on campus amenities that would attract students from across the country to enrol.
To address this, he asked the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) to release funds for the construction of a 600-bed capacity hostel for the university.
Mr Iddrisu said the construction of the hostel facility would expand access to accommodation for the students and make the university more attractive to students from across the country.
Apart from the infrastructure deficit, Mr Iddrisu also raised issues with the persistent agitations and industrial disputes that had confronted the institution.
He also urged GTEC to initiate processes for the Council to appoint a substantive Vice-Chancellor for the university since the tenure of the current VC, would be expiring at the end of this month.
He also tasked the Chairman of the Council, to be mindful of the instability that the vacuum could create and be proactive in resolving the issue.
“This will be one of your urgent and immediate actions to take to safeguard the effective administration and running of the institution. We will expect that the council works with GTEC to make sure that this statutory responsibility is achieved,” he said.
Prof. Fobil expressed gratitude to President Mahama for the confidence reposed in them to guide the management of university and pledged to leverage their expertise to meet the objectives of the Council.
“I pledged on behalf of the council to uplift the image of the university to standards that are acceptable to the world,” he said.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
