Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Prof. Gyimah Boadi has made a strong case in support of lecturers who want to do partisan politics.
In his view, making public declarations about one’s political affiliation as a lecturer is more preferable to the clandestine political activities senior lecturers engaged in on the various campuses; sometimes hiding behind students political groupings such as TESCON for NPP and NDC’s TEIN.
He was commenting on a group of lecturers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology called “KNUST NPP Frontliners” with the goal of helping the opposition party to offer policy alternatives and ideas to help improve the country’s socio-economic development.
Some have criticised the senior staff at KNUST for their decision but Prof. Gyimah Boadi told Joy News “I am glad that the group is coming out… but it comes with a big challenge to all”.
He raised the concern about the likelihood of these lecturers indoctrinating their students on campus. Advocating that the group should be given a rope and monitored to see how their partisanship would influence their academic work, but reiterated that “there is nothing fundamentally wrong” with today’s declaration.
Chairman of the KNUST NPP Frontliners, Dr. Kwabena Boadu reemphasised the need for intellectuals to bring their heads together and begin to do frontline politics having witnessed happenings in the country.
He said the group’s activities will “absolutely” not have any impact on their academic work.
They will not assemble and address students or workers, he stated.
He said members are aware of the limit they can go to and would be mindful of the positions they hold on campus and as such would not do anything to violate the university’s principles.
Members are constantly reminded not to impose their political orientation on students, Dr. Boadu said.
The KNUST public relations officer, Vincent Ankamah Lomotey says the group will be in violation of the universities rules if they carry their activities on campus.
He acknowledged that the members have the right to belong to any political party so far as their political activities are conducted outside the confines of the university.
Meanwhile, a National Vice-Chair of the NPP, Frederick Fredua Antoh has tasked the intellectual elite to make themselves relevant with critical analysis of political trends with the view to help the NPP regain power in 2016.
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com| Isaac Essel
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