UTAG urges Government to prioritize existing Universities over new establishments

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has appealed to the government to reconsider its plans for the establishment of five new universities, advocating for a redirection of resources to enhance the conditions of existing institutions.

UTAG acknowledges the importance of expanding access to higher education but underscores the severe underfunding, infrastructural deficits, and inadequate staff conditions in the current public universities.

In their plea in a statement issued on Monday, UTAG highlights the critical need to prioritize the quality of tertiary education. They propose a resource allocation strategy aimed at improving existing public universities, including infrastructure expansion, better working conditions for lecturers, increased academic staff recruitment, research support, and ensuring the fulfillment of subvention payments, a commitment the government has struggled to meet, adversely affecting all public universities.

This recommendation arose during UTAG’s 21st Biennial National Congress held at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale from October 11 to 13, 2023.

The Congress also brought attention to the absence of seed grants for new university establishments in recent years, such as UniMAC, CKT-UTAS, SDD-UBIDS, AAMUSTED, and UESD. UTAG called upon the government to prioritize the provision of seed funding for these institutions to create a conducive teaching and learning environment for both faculty members and students.

Source: Norvanreports