Government’s posture toward non-teaching senior members has been raised as a concern by the outgoing President of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA).
Speaking on the second day of the GAUA Congress at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana on Friday, Dr. Mrs. Beth Offei-Awuku explained that there is a significant challenge in the government’s understanding of the unique needs of university administrators and professionals.
She attributed this to the poor representation of administrative and professional senior members at the governance level within the tertiary education landscape.
“The leadership of the government agencies are all drawn from the university teaching arm and have skewed commitments to them. We need representation in the corridors of power for the non-teaching senior members to be heard adequately,” she noted.
The fight for stakeholder recognition of GAUA in the senior member category of public universities is ongoing and requires strategic planning with stronger negotiations to bridge the existing gaps.
GAUA experienced a nationwide strike from November 29, 2023, to February 8, 2024. Strikes had not been seen from the association in the last decade or more. The association has fought for better conditions of service.
The leadership of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) have reached an agreement on some of the concerns.
The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) continues its national congress, which commenced on Thursday, August 29, and is slated to end on Saturday, August 31.
Sister associations gracing the event include the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Teachers’ and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU), among others.
The theme for this year’s congress is “Balancing Growth and Sustainability in Expanding Public Universities – The Role of GAUA.”