UTAG awaits response from government

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• Alabama 10 years ago

  Can Dr Bimi explain what this book and research allowance is about. What type of research do they do. This people teach with the same book evey day and year. Or the Government should come out and educate the public about thes ...
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  Can Dr Bimi explain what this book and research allowance is about. What type of research do they do. This people teach with the same book evey day and year. Or the Government should come out and educate the public about these allowances for the parents of these students to appreciate their teachers and the what the government is doing to help them.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  If you don't know then go and find out. Do some research. Why do you want to be spoon-fed with information? 'What type of research do they do.' - do some research. Find out what it means to be an academic in a public universi ...
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  If you don't know then go and find out. Do some research. Why do you want to be spoon-fed with information? 'What type of research do they do.' - do some research. Find out what it means to be an academic in a public university in Ghana. Do not wait to be spoon-fed information.

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• OLD SOLDIER 10 years ago

  Author:Jato Julor (J.J.) Rawlings...
  Hahaaaaa, Afari Djan on the ropes !
  
  Dr. Afari Djan, the self-acclaimed god of elections, currently finds himself between a rock and a hard place.
  
  The noose around his neck is gettin ...
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  Author:Jato Julor (J.J.) Rawlings...
  Hahaaaaa, Afari Djan on the ropes !
  
  Dr. Afari Djan, the self-acclaimed god of elections, currently finds himself between a rock and a hard place.
  
  The noose around his neck is getting tighter and tighter with ever lie that spews out of the mouth of the Tilapia fish-farmer.
  
  The chief returning officer of elections in Ghana is today claiming never to have heard what 'pdf'(portable document format)means.
  
  Lucky for Afari Djan, the NPP will teach him what pdf is all about today for free.
  
  We shall make every NDC foolsoldier see the gargantuan stealing prowess of Afari Djan.

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• SGT ANANI FIADZOE 10 years ago

  Gargantuan humiliation awaits Nana Akufo Addo. The only option left for him is to run into the Atiwa Forest and either farm marijuana or start a guerrilla warfare!

  Gargantuan humiliation awaits Nana Akufo Addo. The only option left for him is to run into the Atiwa Forest and either farm marijuana or start a guerrilla warfare!

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• John 10 years ago

  I am a lecturer here in the US and I have say that I am very ashamed of the behavior of lecturers back home; you cannot continue to strike over book allowances when majority of dons hardly do research or let alone pub ...
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  I am a lecturer here in the US and I have say that I am very ashamed of the behavior of lecturers back home; you cannot continue to strike over book allowances when majority of dons hardly do research or let alone publish a single article within a period of five years. If condition of service is so bad, there are now many private universities and lecturers now have the option to jump ship instead of holding poor students hostage. While in Ghana, I saw the shameless misuse of professional time by lecturers for their own (cut and paste) consultancies and par time with private universities but they feel no shame in continuing to strike for book allowances? Research monies should be put in consolidated fund so that the hardworking and deserving lecturers who can come up with proposals apply for such funds. That is what is done everywhere. The idea that all lecturers must be given book allowance for no work done is an old British trick, which they have since abandoned.

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• Rasty 10 years ago

  John, I think you have been far from home and out of touch with what is going on. Just go on line and look at what lecturers are publishing. How many papers do you have yourself with all the goodies at your disposal? I doubt ...
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  John, I think you have been far from home and out of touch with what is going on. Just go on line and look at what lecturers are publishing. How many papers do you have yourself with all the goodies at your disposal? I doubt whether you are an academic, for academics do not spew that nonsense.

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• DR. Bokor Jnr 10 years ago

  First this joke who calls himself John is no lecturer. 2nd you have Minister of education, you have minister of state in charge of education at the president (another useless position) and you have a National Security Coordi ...
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  First this joke who calls himself John is no lecturer. 2nd you have Minister of education, you have minister of state in charge of education at the president (another useless position) and you have a National Security Coordinator working to solve the issue of teachers on strike?
  confused president, sick nation !

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• Akolpaga 10 years ago

  If you are not home and you don't search on the net how will you know what people publish. You yourself what do you do there? Why not come home if you are good. You may be a drug baron and claim to be a lecturer there.

  If you are not home and you don't search on the net how will you know what people publish. You yourself what do you do there? Why not come home if you are good. You may be a drug baron and claim to be a lecturer there.

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• Ghanaian 10 years ago

  Thank you, John. UTAG is a disgrace to the academic front. They want money to buy books. That is ridiculous! So UTAG can't publish their own books? UTAG has so many professors, yet you cannot trace any books written by these ...
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  Thank you, John. UTAG is a disgrace to the academic front. They want money to buy books. That is ridiculous! So UTAG can't publish their own books? UTAG has so many professors, yet you cannot trace any books written by these dons. Always copying and dubbing for promotion.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  'UTAG has so many professors, yet you cannot trace any books written by these dons.' - really? Do some research and avoid making blanket statements. Information in a journal is more recent than a book. Do some research. You s ...
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  'UTAG has so many professors, yet you cannot trace any books written by these dons.' - really? Do some research and avoid making blanket statements. Information in a journal is more recent than a book. Do some research. You show your ignorance with such comments.

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• Paa Ekow 10 years ago

  Let us confuse issues here. First UTAG has salary arrears yet unpaid to the full though Government’s own timetable for paying them is long overdue. We are taking about salary increases that every public servant in Ghana was ...
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  Let us confuse issues here. First UTAG has salary arrears yet unpaid to the full though Government’s own timetable for paying them is long overdue. We are taking about salary increases that every public servant in Ghana was given last year. In the case of UTAG the component that should have been put on their market premium, as per agreements reached on the Single Spine Salary Structure has since last year not been honoured by Government. The National Labour Commission (NLC) heard their case and that of Government, as well as signed documents and advised Government to pay the arrears off. Government then negotiated with Vice Chancellors, Ghana to pay the first tranche of the arrears so he (Government) pays the remaining three tranches on an agreed schedule. By the behaviour of Government they have even undermined the NLC, an institution established by law, in the performance of some of their function.
  
  Then there is the issue of the book and research allowance that need to be fixed. And for those who argue that UTAG members do not engage in any form of research, be it known to you that by our conditions of service, any lecturer not publishing any research will have their contracts not renewed. That is the nature of our jobs and people like Tony Aidoo (now a noisy member of the NDC government) who in the past failed to publish got their contracts revoked. In effect our universities have a control mechanism to ensure that those who take the book and research allowance actually research and publish. It is a result of such publication that got the Late President the professorial title. The current Minister of Education is called Professor because she also took these small book and research allowance and used it to conduct various researches which she published to be promoted to the rank of “Full Professor”. Ask Professor Naana Opoku Agyeman, the Minister of Education to tell us how she became a professor and you will see if UTAG members use the allowance judiciously or not. So no one should pretend that nothing is being done.
  As for John, who claims to be a lecturer in the US, the little said about you the better. If the Ghanaian system is ok in your terms why don t you come back home as many of your colleagues have done. Don’t be a hypocrite. Instead lead by example and stop making vain arguments from the comfort of the US.
  
  I shall return when details of the main issues come up but this is not politics. It bothers on academic integrity in our highest places of learning.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  good commentary

  good commentary

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• Zoobie-Zoobie 10 years ago

  Thanks for your write-up. I found it educational. A question for you...
  
  What do you have to publish to get your contract renewed? How long has the allowance been in existence?

  Thanks for your write-up. I found it educational. A question for you...
  
  What do you have to publish to get your contract renewed? How long has the allowance been in existence?

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  Do you want to be spoon-fed? Do some research. Let me feed you a tea-spoonful of information: Publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal with high impact factor.

  Do you want to be spoon-fed? Do some research. Let me feed you a tea-spoonful of information: Publishing a paper in a peer-reviewed journal with high impact factor.

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• Zoobie-Zoobie 10 years ago

  You seem to be too-known and trying too much to be important... do you know how to spell impact factor?

  You seem to be too-known and trying too much to be important... do you know how to spell impact factor?

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  hehe. nice one. love your humour

  hehe. nice one. love your humour

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• Nicholas J Bedzo 10 years ago

  Better they changed their minds on this issue other wise they will be
  displace by other deserving ones like
  the Doctors.

  Better they changed their minds on this issue other wise they will be
  displace by other deserving ones like
  the Doctors.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  oh yeah? Who teaches the 'Doctors'? Do you mean medical doctors? They just hold three undergraduate degrees and taught by people who hold a minimum of a second degree. Get you act together.

  oh yeah? Who teaches the 'Doctors'? Do you mean medical doctors? They just hold three undergraduate degrees and taught by people who hold a minimum of a second degree. Get you act together.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  Is your condition of service like that of the teachers in the Gh public universities? 'While in Ghana, I saw the shameless misuse of professional time by lecturers for their own (cut and paste) consultancies and par time wit ...
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  Is your condition of service like that of the teachers in the Gh public universities? 'While in Ghana, I saw the shameless misuse of professional time by lecturers for their own (cut and paste) consultancies and par time with private universities but they feel no shame in continuing to strike for book allowances?' - fallacy of hasty conclusion. Do some basic research and find out if academics can have a contract if they don't publish. Find out the history of Book and research allowance. 'The idea that all lecturers must be given book allowance for no work done is an old British trick, which they have since abandoned.' - do some research and stop making blanket statements.

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• Wwahla 10 years ago

  what kind of lecturer are you? come home and serve than pretending to be hiding your face and talking sheet.

  what kind of lecturer are you? come home and serve than pretending to be hiding your face and talking sheet.

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• Ka Na Wu 10 years ago

  How many research projects have been published by these UTAG membership?

  How many research projects have been published by these UTAG membership?

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• Ka Na Wu 10 years ago

  What has this got to do with an illiterate Securiy Coordinator? Are there not experienced educators and finance ministers to meet with UTAG. UTAG cannot be bullied. They have not been and will never be. Ask stupid Tsatsu and ...
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  What has this got to do with an illiterate Securiy Coordinator? Are there not experienced educators and finance ministers to meet with UTAG. UTAG cannot be bullied. They have not been and will never be. Ask stupid Tsatsu and others

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• SUNY, USA 10 years ago

  Lecturers would like to publish but they are unable to do so due to heavy work schedule imposed on them as result of the unfair student -lecturer ratio. The allowance should be scrapped, many colleagues have not published a s ...
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  Lecturers would like to publish but they are unable to do so due to heavy work schedule imposed on them as result of the unfair student -lecturer ratio. The allowance should be scrapped, many colleagues have not published a single article-that is a fact

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• ANA 10 years ago

  Whoever calls himself a lecturer without a publication is actually no lecturer. There is much difference between lecturing and teaching. So don't call yourself a lecturer or their colleagues when u don't have one. Maybe u're ...
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  Whoever calls himself a lecturer without a publication is actually no lecturer. There is much difference between lecturing and teaching. So don't call yourself a lecturer or their colleagues when u don't have one. Maybe u're a history teacher.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  Don't get confused. Lecturing is a method of teaching. Academics in the Ghanaian public universities do teaching and research or research and teaching (there is a ratio if you are in a lectureship or research fellow). Do some ...
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  Don't get confused. Lecturing is a method of teaching. Academics in the Ghanaian public universities do teaching and research or research and teaching (there is a ratio if you are in a lectureship or research fellow). Do some research on issues before commenting.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  Read Paa Kow's comment and stop making comments on issues you know nothing about.

  Read Paa Kow's comment and stop making comments on issues you know nothing about.

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• Kofi 10 years ago

  Is the National Security Coordinator the right person to liaise for the President in this matter?

  Is the National Security Coordinator the right person to liaise for the President in this matter?

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• Barima Yaw 10 years ago

  How

  How

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• SULE 10 years ago

  Is it a case of the NDC gov't led by John Mahama not knowing what the exact responsibilities of some of Ghana's institutions or it's a clear manifestation of what many Ghanaians are describing as ineptitude and intelligence g ...
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  Is it a case of the NDC gov't led by John Mahama not knowing what the exact responsibilities of some of Ghana's institutions or it's a clear manifestation of what many Ghanaians are describing as ineptitude and intelligence gone adrift? What are the functions of National labour commission, fair wages and salaries commission, national council for tertiary education, the arbitration committee, etc, etc in a situation where there's a stalemate in negotiations for which, national security needs to be roped into an issue which clearly does not warrant Gbevlo Lartey being used as an intermediary or a negotiator in anything. Frankly we thought this level of administration was bad, but this is just terrible. It's just pathetic. So are there no sane beings in the NDC such that, we have this confused state of affairs in the country? This is horrible and it's unbelievable the level of mediocrity which has been visited on Ghanaians by this Mills-Mahama-Amissah Arthur administration.

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• AGBELI KUMORDZI 10 years ago

  GHANAIANS DO NOT WANT SACRIFIES FOR MOTHER GHANA VERY SHAMEFUL.

  GHANAIANS DO NOT WANT SACRIFIES FOR MOTHER GHANA VERY SHAMEFUL.

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• Dr. Panie 10 years ago

  "but UTAG is yet to meet its constituents before taking a decision."
  
  Good statement but the question is did this man meet his constituents before deciding that they had to go on strike. All these pseudo politicians should ...
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  "but UTAG is yet to meet its constituents before taking a decision."
  
  Good statement but the question is did this man meet his constituents before deciding that they had to go on strike. All these pseudo politicians should leave us alone.

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• Kofi AA 10 years ago

  Yes! The UTAG executive is made up of several public universities. Each local UTAG make their own decision and then National UTAG vote on those decision. National UTAG cannot take a decision. Local UTAG groups (9 of them) mad ...
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  Yes! The UTAG executive is made up of several public universities. Each local UTAG make their own decision and then National UTAG vote on those decision. National UTAG cannot take a decision. Local UTAG groups (9 of them) made those decisions. UTAG is not a one-man show.

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