Polytechnic students urges government to find solution to POTAG strike

Accra, June 7, GNA – The Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) on Thursday called on government to find a lasting solution to the long standing strike of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG).

It said failure on the part of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) to meet the ultimatum had warranted the current strike by POTAG, which came at a time when the academic year was almost at its climax and students were preparing for their examinations.

Addressing a press conference in Accra, Mr Shaban Abdul Manaf, President of GNUPS said the inability of government to find a lasting solution to the strike was unacceptable and clearly violated the1992 Constitutional provision on freedom of thought, conscience and belief which included academic freedom.

He said “The continues lip service to the cause of Polytechnics in the country by the government must seize. We want to see genuine commitment backed by tireless efforts to resource and develop Polytechnics in Ghana and not only seeing to the maintenance of industrial and social peace".

Mr Manaf said the issue had become too dicey despite the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the various stakeholders on June 5, for POTAG to call off the strike.

He explained that the POTAG strike could be clearly seen as a deliberate and a direct negligence of Polytechnic education by government which ironically claimed pride in the expansion of Polytechnic educational structure after 1992.

“We want to assure government that Polytechnic education will never collapse in this country because Ghana needs Polytechnics to meet the ever expanding technical market demands,” he added.

GNA