ABOUT ISA

The International Sociological Association (ISA) supports the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, the University Teachers Association of Ghana, and Ghana Studies Association in their call to reject the government’s proposed Public University Bill (PUB). The Bill allegedly seeks to “harmonize the finances, administration and governance structure of Public Universities.” However, our Ghanaian colleagues warn us that PUB is “unconstitutional,” “unnecessary,” “harmful to the future of the higher education in Ghana,” and “a rollback of the hard-won academic freedom that Ghanaian academics have enjoyed for decades.” The Constitution “bars the President from taking the position of Chancellor of any public university,” and “allows a public university to set up its own governing council.” By seeking to give the President the authority to appoint the Chancellor of a public university, PUB undermines the intent of the Constitution, and grants  excessive power to the government and its agencies “to meddle in the affairs of public university administration.”

We also endorse the following statements and petitions issued by the University Teachers Association of Ghana, Ghana Studies Association and Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, and stand in solidarity with our colleagues, students and faculty in Ghana in their demand for an academic space that is not constricted by government mandates.

http://ghanastudies.com/announcements/ghanas-retrogressive-public-university-bill/
http://as-aa.org/downloads/UTAG_factsheet_PUB.pdf
https://citinewsroom.com/2020/05/ghana-academy-of-arts-and-sciences-rejects-public-universities-bill/