By Murtala Issah
Management of the University for Development Studies is seeking the support of Parliament to review the law that established the school some thirty years ago.
The Vice Chancellor of the UDS, Professor Seidu Al-Hassan made an appeal when the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin paid a courtesy call on the Management of the University in Tamale, where Parliament is holding a public forum to mark thirty years of uninterrupted parliamentary democracy, the longest in the history of Ghana.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, the University has witnessed a lot of changes since the establishment of the school, including the decoupling of the Wa and Navrongo campuses, making the two former campuses autonomous universities.
“For instance, the PNDC law 279, has outlived its usefulness and needs to be amended. For instance, the law talks about the composition of the University Council and that the council must include a representative of the cadres, however, the era of cadres has since expired,” he noted.
Professor Seidu Al-Hassan also raised concerns about the monetization of parliamentary contests in Ghana and warned that the practice is a threat to democracy.
The Speaker, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, acknowledged the concerns over the monetization of parliamentary contests, saying Parliament is working with various stakeholders to address the matter.
“If I have to pay you to serve you, it becomes something else, not elections, but auctions,” the Speaker lamented.
The Speaker also expressed Parliament’s readiness to support the development of the university, including formulating the necessary laws to guide its growth.
