The Coalition of Concerned University Students (CoCUS), has called on the government to immediately resolve the disagreement with the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) for academic work to resume.
The union says the indefinite strike by UTAG is having a negative impact on the academic calendar, and that if the government refuses to address their concerns it will affect them in the long run.
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) on Monday January 10, 2022 declared an indefinite strike demanding better working conditions. An order by the National Labour Commission to call it off have fallen on deaf ears.
Students are feeling the negative impact already since academic activities have stalled.
Addressing the media, the Lead Convener of the Coalition of Concerned University Students (CoCUS), Kofi George Abuah, said the ongoing strike will force students to demonstrate if the government fails to meet lecturers’ demand
“Government must within the next few working days engage the University Teachers Association of Ghana with the aim of addressing the issues in a manner that UTAG will be satisfied. Currently, most students are preparing for their mid-semester assessments and end-of-semester examinations, and we believe this strike will have a negative toll on them psychologically and academically.”
“It is on the backdrop of this that we plead with the government to act right. We will be forced to demonstrate if the government does not meet the demands of the lecturers.”
He further indicated that, already, “COVID-19 has been an albatross on students’ neck and disrupted the learning and academic procedures, thus it is unfair for university students to pay exorbitant tuition and hostel fees at this early stage of the academic calendar just to see lecturers embark on an indefinite industrial action”.
