The University of Education, Winneba, will on Monday September 17, 2018, induct Rev. Prof Anthony Afful-Broni as its fourth Vice Chancellor.
The event which is expected to be attended by President Akufo-Addo as Special Guest is to end a turbulent cycle of leadership crisis the University has struggled in the last few months.
[contextly_sidebar id=”HAOussdms3kYrpGujBL7vpy84hNVDbWP”] Former Vice Chancellor, Professor Mawutor Avoke, together with six other Principal Officers of the University, were removed by the Governing Council.
This has however been described by some lecturers as politically motivated.
But it is expected that Prof. Afful-Broni’s investiture will re-unite the University and provide sound leadership.
In August 2018, the then acting vice chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba, Rev. Fr. Prof. Afful-Broni was appointed as substantive Vice-Chancellor.
His appointment came weeks after five principal officers of the institution were dismissed, together with the then Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Mawutor Avoke.
Legal Battles
Prior to the dismissal, a Winneba High Court in 2017 ordered Professor Mawutor Avoke, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council was determined.
The order was made in a case brought before the court by one Supi Kofi Kwayera, who insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.
However, before the substantive claims were looked into, the University, through its lawyers, applied to the court to dismiss the suit on the three counts, but the application was dismissed.
The High Court subsequently found Professor Avoke, and the school’s Finance Officer, Dr. Theopholus Senyo Ackorlie, guilty of procurement and other financial irregularities.
The court subsequently ordered the retrieval of all monies paid to the contractors of the North Campus Roads and a forensic audit of the project.
Claims of unfair dismissal
The dismissed officials have maintained that their dismissal was baseless.
In a press release, the embattled officials said they were saddened about the public perception of their silence on the matter, hence their decision to clarify the situation at hand.
“We noticed that there is a lot of information in the social, print and electronic media on the subject. Some people have also misconstrued our silence on the subject as an admission of guilt. We have therefore decided to provide these clarifications to the public.”
Prof. Yankah unsure if UEW dismissals followed regulations
The Minister of State In-Charge of Tertiary Education, Professor Kwesi Yankah, has said he is not sure if the University of Education’s Governing Council dismissed the former Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mawutor Avoke, and four others in line with laid down regulations.
He noted to Citi News that the universities have “laid down procedures” that have to be abided by”.
Professor Yankah said he was not yet aware if these procedures were adhered to.
“I’ve been away for a while and I have not been in touch with them to explain the entire circumstances as to whether the entire procedure, which I am aware in all universities involves advertising for the vacant position, a search party instituted to look for the new vice chancellor, the report of the search party brought before the council… for the council to make a final decision were followed.”
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By: Sixtus Dong-Ullo & Nii Larte Lartey/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
