UTAG-KNUST Defends Statutory Role In Appointment Of Pro-VCs And Deans

The University Teachers Association of Ghana, KNUST Secretariat, has expressed disappointment over the outcome of the Academic Board meeting held on September 9, 2026, regarding the process for appointing Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Deans.

In a letter dated September 10, 2026, and signed by President Prof. Eric Kwabena Kyeh Abavare and Secretary Prof. Akwasi Afrifa Acheampong, leadership said it was updating members following the board meeting and seeking their continued support in pursuit of a fair and lawful resolution to a matter that touches the heart of shared governance.

According to the Association, members at an emergency meeting on August 21, 2026, took a clear and overwhelming position that the status quo be maintained in the appointment process until a mutually acceptable framework is agreed upon. Regrettably, that position was not upheld at the Academic Board meeting.

UTAG-KNUST says the matter goes beyond a procedural disagreement. The Association argues that its right to meaningfully participate in decisions about academic leadership is grounded in Act 1157, Clause 5(f), which entrenches university membership and its democratic prerogatives.

Leadership warned that if such a decision can be set aside, the precedent will not be limited to Pro-VC and Dean appointments but could over time erode other areas where the collegial voice of academic staff has traditionally been decisive.

It further argued that a strategic plan, with an expected lifespan of about ten years, cannot properly override a statute whose lifespan is measured in decades, adding that the ambition to move from excellence to eminence is strengthened when members have assurance that they will help choose those who lead them.

*Core issues before Council*

The Association said the core issues it is placing before the University Council are:

i. The statutory basis of its membership under Act 1157, Clause 5(f), and the democratic decisions that flow from it.

ii. The right of members to have a genuine vote in the appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellors and Deans.

iii. The proper relationship between the University's Statutes and its strategic plan, so that the latter does not displace the former.

iv. The preservation of collegial governance as a defining feature of the institution.