The Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), with advice from the Ministry of Education, has suspended the participation of Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU) members from serving on the governing councils of public universities. This is due to an ongoing disagreement between two groups: TEWU-GH and TEWU-TUC.
What Happened?
GTEC has asked university Vice-Chancellors not to accept any new nominations from TEWU to their councils until further notice. A statement signed by GTEC’s Acting Director of Corporate Affairs, Jerry Sarfo, said the move is meant to avoid further tension while efforts are made to resolve the dispute.
As a result, TEWU members who were already sworn into the councils of universities such as:
- University of Cape Coast (UCC),
- University of Education, Winneba (UEW),
- University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA),
- C. K. Tedam University of Technology and Applied Sciences (CKT-UTAS),
- University for Development Studies (UDS),
- Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST),
have been temporarily suspended. A meeting between GTEC, Vice-Chancellors-Ghana, TEWU-GH, and TEWU-TUC is scheduled for May 16, 2025, to address the issue.
Why the Dispute?
The conflict is about which union—TEWU-GH or TEWU-TUC—has the legal right to represent university staff on governing councils.
GTEC says it is neutral and has no intention to favor one group over the other. It also condemned any acts of violence or misconduct, such as incidents that occurred at the University for Development Studies.
TEWU-TUC’s Position
At a press conference, King James Azortibah, General Secretary of TEWU-TUC, asked GTEC to stay fair and objective. He thanked President John Mahama and Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu for recognizing TEWU-TUC as the legitimate union for representation.
Mr. Azortibah accused a breakaway group of former TEWU-TUC executives of forming TEWU-GH after trying to stay in power beyond their term limits. He claimed that the new group wrongly continued to use the same name, TEWU, causing confusion.
Impact and Response
- TEWU-TUC insists it is the rightful body to represent staff on university councils.
- They argue that the Public Universities Act and university statutes clearly give them this role.
- The union has also won some court cases supporting their position.
Mr. Azortibah stated that TEWU-TUC has been active in public universities for 58 years and continues to work toward improving the welfare of its members. He called on members to stand united and promised that the union would keep defending its legacy and legal rights.
In summary, until the dispute between TEWU-GH and TEWU-TUC is resolved, all TEWU members serving on university councils have been suspended, and the GTEC is working with all parties to find a peaceful and legal solution.
