Rejoinder “The Saga Of University Of Education, Winneba (UEW)---Part I"

The attention of the Management of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has been drawn to a publication in Modernghana, an online news media on matters concerning the University.

In the said publication, the writer alleged the following:

1. The Deputy Finance Officer (DFO) has been asked to act as the Finance Officer (FO) because the Finance Officer has been asked to proceed on leave.
2. The DFO was brought to UEW from KPMG, where he and the Finance Officer were colleagues prior to the FO’s appointment in the University.
3. The Finance Officer is associated with satanic things such as voodoo and shrines
4. The FO was appointed in 2012.
5. The Accounts Officer at UEW Ajumako Campus (Mr. Bruno) is the best neutral person to act as the Finance Officer in the interim.
6. Computers purchased in 2014 exploded on being plugged to the electricity mains and the supplier was not asked to do any replacement.
7. Projectors fitted by the Supplier at the faculty block never functioned.
8. The Wifi internet system installed and maintained by Vodafone Ghana Limited, is nothing to write home about.
9. A huge amount of State funds is being paid to Vodafone for doing nothing. With the exception of the main administration block, and residencies of other Principal Officers, Wifi at any other facility of UEW, is like stepping a false ladder.
10. The Director of I.T. Services who was recruited in February, 2017, was forced to resign less than two months after taking up that role for allegedly attempting to question the Wifi contract with Vodafone.
11. Students are paying astronomical increases in fees, without an improvement in services rendered by the University to students. For example, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) students pay an extra GHS 600, and only one training is provided per semester, therefore, this equals two training programmes in an academic year.
12. Resource person invited for the training programme is paid GHS 600. Each student is given a bottle of malt and one pie.
13. BBA level 400 students pay an internship fee of about GHS 250.
14. In November 2016, when the department’s lecturers were ready to go out on the supervision, the FO stopped the exercise and the GHS 250 supervision fee has not been refunded to the students.
15. The release of the 2017/18 academic year fee payment schedule indicate that level 400 students are to pay GHS 2,170.00. The hall fee is GHS 1,150.00. This is over GHS 3,000 per student in a public university, and this figure is beside food, transport, course materials, health, etc.

We wish to respond that:

1. The FO is at post, and no letter has been written to him to proceed on leave.
2. It is also not true that the DFO whom the writer claimed has been asked to act has ever worked at KPMG. It’s also a fact, that the FO and the DFO never worked together anywhere before other than at UEW. Additionally, the FO did not take office in 2012. He took office in 2013. As for the claim that the FO engages in satanic practices like voodoo and going to shrines the writer would need to produce evidence to back his assertion.
3. The writer in his article alluded to the mal-functioning computers procured in 2014 which were not returned to the supplier. It must be emphasized that the computers that gave UEW problems were actually contracted for in 2012 when the current was not FO and not on the Tender Committee but the Tender Committee members then, relied heavily on the recommendations of the ICT professionals and the Evaluation Panel. In fact, the Committee referred that Evaluation Report to the ICT Department and the Evaluation Panel to cross check on a number of occasions.
4. Regarding the projectors at the Faculty Block, we had a report from Development Office and ICT Directorate that, most of them are working. The University is aware that a few others need power cables to be fixed by the Development Office. In any case, the FO does not procure or buy for the University. Procurements are coordinated by the Procurement Office and done by the various Committees, Panels and Boards established by the Public Procurement Acts.

5. Vodafone had not installed our WiFi neither is Vodafone in charge of maintaining our WiFi. It is also pertinent to note that the University provides internet accessibility to students and the University at various locations including, Halls of Residence, Faculty buildings and other designated social meeting places. The students often gather around the main administration block because it is faster to access the internet at those locations.

6. The writer had claimed that the ICT Director who was recruited in February 2017 raised questions about the non-existent Vodafone contract. It is on record that the said Officer never questioned any Vodafone contract. The ICT Director was also not forced to resign. He did so on his own.

7. We wish to also address the false claims made by the writer concerning student fees in the University. The fees he quoted were all wrong. The FO did not cancel lecturers trip to supervise students. In any case the FO is not in charge of organizing departmental seminars for BBA students. No department consumes all fees paid by its students alone. Some must go into capital expenditures like the renovation of the south campus Administration Block for BBA, North Campus roads, vehicles for Deans, etc. Some also must run common offices like the Dean’s Office, Quality Assurance, Academic Affairs, etc.

8. This academic year, our fees were among the lowest in the whole country. Fees are fixed by Council. For the 2017/18 academic year which will start in July/August 2017, we are yet to know the fees of the other public Universities. We are sure ours will still be among the lowest. In any case, we have been asked to submit the Council approved fees to Parliament for approval. We are preparing to send the fees and whatever parliament approves, we shall comply.

9. The Public Universities have since decoupled Residential Facilities (Hall accommodation) from Admissions to the Universities. This has occasioned the springing up of private student hostels in and around campuses who charge competitive rent compared to the Halls. The fees we charge for the Halls are not even enough for utilities alone at these halls. The Writer can check from the Hall managers. Hall fees are directly paid into the respective hall accounts and they are managed by the Hall Councils.

Dr. C.Y. Akwaa-Mensah
Registrar