NPP URGES GOVT TO RESOLVE STRIKE ACTION BY UTAG (PAGE 13, OCT 6, 2010)

THE Upper West Regional Second Vice- Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Hafiz Bin Salih, has called for a swift resolution of the strike action by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) in order not to disrupt the academic calendar of public universities in the country.
He said the education sector had in recent times been bedevilled with too many problems and, therefore, if care was not taken, the country’s education system would be in disarray.
“We do not want a situation where the academic calendar of the universities would be thrown overboard. Already, we are having problems with the senior high schools and as of now, parents do not even know whether their wards who have qualified into the SHS are going to school or not,” Mr Bin Salih noted with concern and called on the government to dialogue with the UTAG.
He cautioned the government against taking an entrenched position on the matter, saying “Government must tolerate UTAG and sit down with them to address their concerns”.
Mr Salih was not happy about the manner in which the NDC government seemed to be toying with the future of the country’s youth through its posture on matters related to education and said this was a government he expected much from with respect to education since the president himself was a teacher.
He described the strike action of UTAG as unfortunate and also appealed to members of UTAG to soften their stand and consider the plight of students.
Commenting on the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS), the NPP Vice- Chairman stressed the need for the government to take a holistic view of the scheme and address all the shortfalls.
He said if care was not taken, the scheme could lead to series of agitations amongst various aggrieved workers group which could throw the country into anarchy through strikes and demonstrations.
He urged the government of the NDC to sit up by honouring its campaign promises, pointing out that Ghanaians were fed up with the continuous assurances.
“What the government must realise is that the campaign period is over and, therefore, it is time for serious business. We have had enough of the assurances, it is time to do the job” he said.
In a related development, a visit by the Daily Graphic to the Wa campus of the University for Development (UDS) revealed that there were no lectures as students attended to their personal businesses.
While some of the students were spotted in the lecture halls reading, others sat in groups chatting.
Some of the students who spoke to the Daily Graphic also added their voice to the calls on the government to attend to the needs of the UTAG so that they could soon start serious academic work.
They expressed concern about the seemingly war of words from both parties and appealed to them to soften their stands and resolve the issues amicably.