TTU TUTAG demands signed MoU before ending strike

The Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG) chapter at Takoradi Technical University (TTU) has insisted that it will not suspend its ongoing strike until the Ministry of Education provides a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formally confirming its agreement to the lecturers’ demands.

The chapter’s president, Prof. Frederick Boakye-Yiadom, said although the ministry had agreed to address the association’s concerns during their last meeting, members required written assurances before returning to the classroom.

Speaking to Citi News following the reopening of the semester at TTU, he said the association was prepared to resume teaching but needed an official document to demonstrate that the government had committed itself to resolving the issues.

“We are dealing with technocrats. If you come without concrete document to prove to them that this is what the minister has said, Ghanaians don’t believe the politicians again, they are looking for either MOU from the Minister just as it has been done with the pre-tertiary teachers,” he said.

Prof. Boakye-Yiadom said the prolonged industrial action was affecting teaching time and putting pressure on students and their parents.

“We are ready to teach. I can confidently say that because we are losing contact hours, and it is not helping us,” he stated.

He explained that students who had returned to campus for the semester continued to incur accommodation and other living expenses despite the disruption to academic activities.

The TUTAG chapter president warned that further delays could increase the financial burden on parents when lectures eventually resume, particularly if the academic calendar requires adjustments.

The strike stems from concerns over unpaid remuneration for lecturers employed on post-retirement contracts, changes to agreed conditions and schemes of service, and a directive from the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) on PhD requirements for career progression.

The chapter maintains that a signed MoU from the Ministry of Education is necessary to give members confidence that the outstanding issues will be addressed before they call off the strike.