Withdraw Public Universities Bill – Mahama

The flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has asked the government to withdraw the Public Universities Bill which is currently before Parliament.

“Government must listen to the concerns of key stakeholders and withdraw the Public Universities Bill,” Mahama urged in a statement.

If government refuses to adhere to his call and goes ahead to pass the Bill into law, John Mahama says he will repeal it in case he wins the 2020 polls.

“I want to, however, assure the people of Ghana and the academic community that 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.

The NDC’s flagbearer insists that “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.”

About the Public Universities Bill

According to the framers of the Public Universities Bill, it seeks to harmonize the finances, administration and governance structure of public universities.

The Bill, when passed, will give the government power to appoint the majority of members of the University Council.

The Council then has the power to appoint and fire public university officials.

The Bill also gives the President the power to dissolve the University Council which will now have the power to appoint a chancellor.

It also gives effect to the University Council to control the finances of the university and determine the allocation of funds.

In addition, there is a proposal to rename four public universities after various personalities.