| General News
[ 2016-06-24 ]
Govt asking 'expired' UEW Council to stay on illegal - MP The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament
(MP) for Effutu Constituency says the central
government’s directive asking the Council of the
University of Education, Winneba to stay on
despite its expired term of office is illegal.
Afenyo Markins says the University of Education,
Winneba Act 672 clearly stipulates the tenure of
office of the Council and this cannot be subjected
to the whims of any sitting government.
“A central government directive or presidential
directive cannot take precedence overexpress
provisions of the law,” he said.
In her response to questions on the floor of
Parliament on June 23, the Education Minister,
Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang disclosed the
Council, whose term of office expired in November
2013, will act till a substantive one is
sworn-in.
She explained challenges facing the education
sector coupled with the election petition in 2013
resulted in the decision by the central government
to have the Council act till a new one is
established.
“We were all aware of a number of challenges
that were going on legally regarding the elections
and so on. So the directive came from the central
government that all councils whose terms were
going to expire should hold on,” she told the
House.
“There were not extensions but they were
mandated to carry on with their responsibilities
until new councils were established,” she
added.
But the outspoken NPP legislator said there is no
way the government can justify its directive
giving backing to an illegality.
“You cannot by any means find a way of getting
somebody whose tenure has expired to stay on,”
he said.
He ridiculed the sector minister’s claim that
the 2013 election petition contributed to the
directive of the government.
“The election petition was determined way back
in August 2013 and the tenure of the Council
expired in November 2013 so it cannot be it,” he
said. Source - Myjoyonline.com
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