Mid-semester exams at Kumasi Technical University in limbo over TUTAG strike

Students of Kumasi Technical University have begun feeling the brunt of the ongoing strike action by the Technical Teachers Association of Ghana (TUTAG).

Mid-semester examinations scheduled for this week, October 21, remain uncertain.

This is after administrators of technical universities in Ghana joined lecturers on a strike that started more than two weeks ago.

“I am on a scholarship. My cheque is in so I had come to the administration to get it to buy some books and other things for my upkeep but I am unable to access it because the administrators had joined too,” a worried female student explained to Luv FM.

The lecturers, members of TUTAG, declared a sit-down strike on Tuesday, October 7, 2019, over poor conditions of service following the conversion of polytechnics to technical universities

They want the government to include them in ongoing negotiations to improve working conditions for teachers in tertiary institutions.

The situation has compelled many students, especially those coming from around Kumasi, to leave campus for their homes, while some of those from outside the Ashanti Region are still on campus hopeful that the impasse will be resolved.

“We thought it was a joke, we came here and the lecturers are not willing to teach us because of the strike,” said a student of the Kumasi Technical University.

“We are trying to learn by ourselves but you know that there are certain things you might not understand unless the lecturer takes you through, so it is really affecting us,” another student said.

As the strike continues, there are indications more students are expected to go home because, according to them, they are wasting the little resources they brought to school.

With a few weeks left on the academic calendar, students are hopeful the semester period will be extended to enable them to complete the required courses.

Source: Ghana | Prince Appiah | Luv FM