Two days after the High Court ordered the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to return to the lecture rooms, members of the association are yet to comply with the order.
Checks by the Ghanaian Times on campuses of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon; University of Cape Coast (UCC); Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) revealed that students who assembled at the various lecture theatres in anticipation of the return of their lecturers had their hopes dashed.
A final year student at the UCC, Mary Takyiwaa, revealed that when she went to campus for lectures yesterday the lecturers were not available.
“Students were idling about as there were no signs of the lecturers which has become a worry for us. I am hopeful by the end of the week the impasse between the government and UTAG would have been solved so teaching and learning could return at full speed because we are already far behind time,” she explained.
Similarly, at the KNUST campus, Selina Aboagye told the Ghanaian Times that the lecturers were nowhere to be found although some students went to class.
At the GIJ, the situation was no different as students were seen lingering around. A level 400 student, Collins Yeboah, said he was hopeful that the lecturers would have returned yesterday but realised they were nowhere to be found.
“It will be unfair for the lecturers to return to the classroom on the promise of the government meeting their demands because they (UTAG) would have wasted our time because per our calendar we should be nearing the end of the semester,” he explained.
In an Interview with the Ghanaian Times, the National Secretary of the GIJ chapter of UTAG, Mr Eric Agyekum, said UTAG was yet to receive a certified copy of the court pronouncement.
“Our lawyers have informed us that they haven’t received any certified copy of the judgement from the court so as it stands UTAG has not called off the strike,” he added.
He explained that the said directive from the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), informing all students of the new resuming date for lectures, February 21, was not from UTAG.
“It’s the school asking their students to return to the classroom so we can’t entreat the students to disregard that directive,” he expressed.
Meanwhile, UPSA in a communique dated February 16 and signed by the Registrar, Dr KoryoeAnim-Wright, informed all students to return for lectures starting Monday, February 21.
UTAG has been on strike since January 10, 2022 to force the government to restore the conditions of service agreed on in 2012. The NLC after hearing the case on Thursday, January 13, 2022, ruled that the strike be called off because it was illegal and did not follow due process.
When the UTAG defied the directive, the NLC dragged UTAG to a High Court in Accra (Labour Division) which asked the parties to settle the impasse on industrial action out of court.
Efforts to settle the matter have not yet yielded results as UTAG declined an invitation from the NLC, compelling NLC to drag the Association to court, asking for interlocutory injunction on the strike.
BY JESSEL LARTEY THERSON-COFIE
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