Academic staff of the Holy Child College of Education in Fijai in the Western Region have strongly opposed the appointment of the newly appointed Principal, Madam Victoria Ghanney and therefore calling for her removal with immediate effect.
They argued that the newly appointed Principal does not possess the relevant qualifications, the managerial competencies and skills as stipulated in the College of Education Act 2012, Act 847 to enable her to head the College.
According to them, she does not possess a research postgraduate degree preferably the terminal, which is a Doctor of Philosophy degree as enshrined in the College of Education Act, 2012, Act 84 while investigation shows that she also has just a one-year online non-research MSc degree, a qualification which will not even allow her to teach as a College Tutor.
Addressing journalists at a press conference at the College’s campus, Secretary to the Convocation, Mr Lawrence Ewusi-Mensah said the College will resist any attempt to impose anyone who is not prepared academically and managerially to serve as their head.
Mr Ewusi-Mensah announced that the Colleges Act also stipulates that an applicant to the position of the Principal should have a rich administrative experience, that is the applicant should have held a relevant senior management position for at least five years with proven leadership skills.
However, from the Curriculum Vitae of Madam Ghanney, she has not headed any senior management position before her appointment which makes her appointment a clear violation of the College Statutes.
He maintained that even though the Governing Council claims the appointee was a Senior Lecturer in a university, that lectureship position has arisen as a result of her long service but not on academic qualification which is an essential prerequisite entry requirement for every applicant.
Mr Ewusi-Mensah said the staff have also asked for immediate audit of the academic qualifications and credentials of the appointee to ascertain the veracity of the appointees’s qualification based on which the Council offered her the appointment.
“Even though the Academic Staff acknowledges the powers of the Council, we insist that as major stakeholders, they cannot work under an unqualified person in a College which has PhD holders and PhD candidates as tutors”, he opined.
Mr Ewusi-Mensah further stated that per the results of the interview conducted for applicants to the position, Madam Ghanney came third and questioned why no one was appointed among those who placed first and second.
They are therefore calling on the Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Director General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission, Minister of Education and other relevant stakeholders to as a matter of urgency revoke the appointment with immediate effect.
Mr Ewusi-Mensah threatened that the Academic Staff will not hesitate to withdraw their services should the Council fail to act on their demand.
Story: Seth Ameyaw Danquah
