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Former President Mahama urges govt to withdraw Public Universities Bill …But govt disagrees
Former President John Dramani Mahama has called on the government to withdraw the Public University Bill from parliament because it will colonise the tertiary institutions and stifle their academic freedom.
“Should government proceed and pass the Bill into an Act of Parliament, I will not hesitate to initiate steps for its immediate repeal, as a matter of priority, if God willing I assume office as President in January 2021,” he said.
In a statement issued in Accra yesterday, the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) said: “In its current form, it is unclear what problems or challenges in higher education the bill seeks to resolve.
“What is certain howeverthat, the bill is seeking to colonise public universities in the country, undermine academic freedom, stifle scholarly initiative, and subject research and researchers to needless and unproductive government control.”
The bill, seeks to harmonise the finances, administration and governance structure of public universities with reasons for its drafting including that universities continue to veer off their core mandate and are misappropriating their resources.
The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, University Teachers, some former vice-chancellors, individual academics in the universities among many other stakeholders, have kicked against it.
“The bill as it stands does not only risk undermining academic innovation and ingenuity; it will also jettison decades of scholarly excellence and adversely affect Ghana’s position as the preferred destination for international scholarly collaboration,” he said and asked the government to listen to the stakeholders.
In his view, instead of the bill, the universities need partnership that fosters academic freedom, enhances their efficiency and also invests in research and development.
He cited the COVID-19 rapid test kit innovation from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and their partner INCAS Diagnostics Company as one of such outcome that was begging for support.
“Our academics and students need support to focus on their core mandates of creating and sharing knowledge, not a Public Universities Bill that seeks to control and undermine the independence of our intellectuals and other researchers in state-owned universities,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education says the Public University Bill will not stifle academic freedom and undermine research and innovation when passed into law, as asserted by former President Mahama.
A rebuttal from the ministry issued by Rodney Nkrumah-Boateng, the press secretary to the sector minister, Dr Matthew Opoku-Prempeh said the bill had received the needed stakeholder inputs to make it robust.
“The ministry would like to put on record that it has extensively engaged shareholders on this matter, having invited, and received, memorandum from the various public universities and other stakeholders.”
“The ministry assures the general public that it is committed to the engagement process with the relevant stakeholders and is confident that eventually, the bill will receive the necessary approvals to enable it pass into law and help reform the tertiary landscape to the ultimate benefit of the nation,” it said.
According to the statement, the comments by former President Mahama “smacks of desperation” and that Ghanaians were expecting clear innovative policy alterative and not promises of reviews and abolitions of existing ones.
“Ex-President Mahama is entitled to speak on any matter but must first be educated and informed. It is wholly unacceptable for a person of his statute to pander to partisan politicking on such an important issue without ascertaining the facts simply because it is an election year,” it said.
Questioning if the Technical University Act passed by the Mahama-led administration, stifled academic freedom, the ministry said this government had done more to promote research.
It said this government had, in addition to the restoration of the Book and Research Allowance abolished by the NDC government, approved 200 per cent increase in research allowance from GH₵500 introduced by former President Kufour to GH₵1,500.
It said it had also laid before parliament, the Ghana Research Fund Bill to establish a fund to provide for funds and to support national research in tertiary and research institutions.
Source: Ghanaian Times
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Speaker of Parliament inaugurates open Parliament Steering Committee, launches action plan
The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has launched the Open Parliament Steering Committee and the Open Parliament Action Plan.
The ceremony was under the theme “Achieving Gender Equality: Action by Action.”
The Speaker highlighted the critical role Parliament plays in translating the will of the people into inclusive legislation, responsive policies, and accountable governance.
“The International Day of Parliamentarianism is worth celebrating, as it offers an opportunity not only to recognise and promote achievements in strengthening democratic governance, but also to pause and reflect on the remaining gaps in institutionalising parliamentary democracy,” he said.
He noted that the event was scheduled to coincide with the International Day of Parliamentarianism to reinforce the importance of open and inclusive governance.
The Majority Leader, Mahama Ayariga, stated that the International Day of Parliamentarianism is intended to recognise the vital role Parliaments play globally as pillars of democratic governance.
He noted that this marks the first time Ghana is formally observing the day.
“The gravity of our observance is further accentuated as we convene to witness the launch of the Open Parliament Action Plan by the Open Government Partnership Caucus,” he said.
Delivering a statement on behalf of the Minority Leader, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, the Deputy Minority Leader, Patricia Appiagyei, described the Open Parliament Action Plan as a transformative initiative aimed at strengthening the relationship between Parliament and the public.
She said the plan represents a bold commitment to making Parliament more transparent, accessible, and responsive to the needs of Ghanaians.
The Clerk to Parliament, Mr. Ebenezer Ahumah Djietror, described the launch as a key milestone in the effort to build a citizen-focused and accountable Parliament.
He added that the International Day of Parliamentarianism is a call to action to recommit to the highest standards of public service and democratic accountability.
The inauguration was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including the Majority and Minority Members of Parliament, members of the Open Parliament Steering Committee, the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Caucus, Parliamentary Network Africa, representatives from civil society organisations, members of the diplomatic corps, traditional and religious leaders, student bodies, the Parliamentary Press Corps, and other media partners.
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NACOC declares drug menace a national emergency
The Parliamentary Committee on Defence and Interior has paid a working visit to the Narcotics Control Commission (NACOC) to engage with its leadership and assess operational challenges hampering the fight against illicit drugs.
In a detailed presentation, Dr. Basha Ligbi, Head of the Commission’s Research Bureau, highlighted critical setbacks including broken body scanners at airport terminals, inadequate office infrastructure, overcrowded detention facilities, and deteriorating vehicles.
He also called for the Commission’s headquarters to be reclassified as a security zone, citing growing security risks due to private encroachment and nearby high-rise developments.
Director General of NACOC, Brigadier General Maxwell Obiba Mantey, described the escalating drug trade as a national emergency, warning that drug barons now rival armed robbers in threat level and are gaining influence at the highest levels.
He appealed for stronger institutional support and morale-boosting interventions to preserve the integrity of NACOC officers.
Chairman of the Committee and MP for Builsa North, James Agalga, assured the Commission of the Committee’s commitment to escalate the concerns to Parliament and engage key justice sector stakeholders to fast-track reforms in support of NACOC’s mandate.
