The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has called on the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) and the Technical Universities Senior Administrators Association of Ghana (TUSAAG) to call off their strike for normal academic work to proceed at all public universities across the country.

He said it was his expectation that public universities would reopen by the weekend and not later, so that academic work could begin on Monday.

The minister said that was to ensure that the academic calendar was not disrupted beyond the time already lost due to the strike by GAUA and TUSAAG.

Mr. Iddrisu made the urgent call on Monday after the government had met with GAUA and TUSAAG.

Present at the meeting were the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr. George Smith-Graham, and officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).

GAUA was led by its president, Rev. Kwaku Karikari, and other leading members of the association alongside representatives of TUSAAG.

Postpone

The University of Ghana and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology postponed their reopening dates from yesterday and tomorrow respectively due to the strike by GAUA, while activities on technical university campuses are also experiencing hiccups due to the strike by their lecturers in demand for varying levels of conditions of service.

Mr. Iddrisu said, “It is for GAUA and its leadership and TUSAAG and its leadership to go and consult further with their constituents and call off the industrial actions while the negotiations proceed.

"Understandably, some of the matters can be resolved and will be resolved immediately, including the Ministry of Education expediting action through GTEC to request all public universities to extend retirement rollover to all senior members as has been the practice. That we can do and that we assure you that we would do," he said.

Briefing journalists after the meeting yesterday afternoon, Mr. Iddrisu said the major issues included but not limited to market premium and its restoration to parity and issues which were accordingly referred to the FWSC.

"I believe that between tomorrow and a week, the FWSC will do what is appropriate within its mandate for you to call off the strike to get normal academic work restored across all public universities.

I am happy to note that the Minister of Finance has issued a warrant for the payment of the research allowance."