Members of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) convened at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon, on August 30th, for their annual three-day national congress.
The congress focused on reviewing the association’s conditions of service, adopting new approaches, and swearing in incoming executives. The theme, “Balancing Growth and Sustainability in Expanding Public Universities: The Role of GAUA,” underscored the importance of GAUA’s role in navigating the challenges and opportunities of higher education.
Hundreds of attendees, including representatives from sister associations like UTAG, TEWU, and FUSAG, attended the congress.
Keynote speaker Mrs. Mildred Asmah, a consultant administrator, urged GAUA to embrace innovation and adaptability in the ever-evolving field of education. She emphasized the need for continuous improvement to enhance the quality of education.
Mrs. Asmah highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster skills and efficiency. She encouraged GAUA members to leverage AI to drive growth and innovation in their work.
“I know that we are all afraid of being displaced as accused of the force of AI. There is nothing to fear. It rather helps us. In this speech, I could have made AI do it for me without a problem, without any human intelligence. So in the same way, when we are writing the speeches for these systems, we should not fear the things AI can do; there are things human intelligence can do, so we should not fear at all. AI is not going to replace administrators, but make our lives easier. Administrators should be able to leverage AI to gain valuable insights, free in their time to focus on the creative human aspects of their roles.”
The outgoing president of the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), Dr. Mrs. Beth Offei-Awuku, urged members to actively participate in the association’s activities. She highlighted the untapped potential of the diverse professional membership and emphasized the need to overcome apathy to foster stronger unity and collaboration within GAUA.
“There is apathy, lack of interest from a section of our members. Sometimes, even when we say, “Aluta” and declare a strike, it is right from within us, that the strike does not happen. We need to address that. We need to stand together. We need to break the apathy, and we need to be a force in the universities to be reckoned with.”
The threatened breakaway of aggrieved professionals within GAUA is a contributing factor to the apathy among members. Over 500 members, dissatisfied with the compromised conditions of service, particularly regarding their categories, have formed a splinter group to advocate for their own interests. According to Dr. Mrs. Beth Offei-Awuku, the leadership of the splinter group has been approached, and ongoing discussions are taking place to address their concerns.
She further explained that there’s a significant challenge in the government’s understanding of the unique needs of university administrators and professionals. She attributed this to the poor representation of administrative and professional senior members at the governance level within the tertiary education landscape.
“The government’s posture has been a threat to us. Poor representation of our administrative professional senior members at the governance level in the tertiary education landscape has turned out to be a major challenge in government association with our unique needs.”
Chairperson for the congress, the Vice Chancellor for the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, called on GAUA members to be more united. She explained that any distortion or breakaway will prevent GAUA from achieving its objectives, including demanding better conditions of service. She further advised the mother association to be more tolerant and inclusive to avert the impending breakaway.
“This will not be beneficial. When you are in the process of wanting to break out and are breaking out, we would be causing destruction among yourselves. But we do not have the energy and focus to direct the resources where we should go and I believe that government has a role to play to make members feel inclusive, and they should not feel left out.”
Professor Appia Amfo further proposed a name change of the association. She suggested that the Ghana Association of University Professionals and Administrators, GAUPA, would be a better fit to address recognition concerns.
“So, my final proposal is for GAUA to consider renaming itself to Ghana Association of University Professionals and Administrators.”
During the swearing-in ceremony, Dr. Mrs. Beth Offei-Awuku officially handed over leadership of the GAUA UG chapter to Mr. Michael Owusu Ansah and his vice, Mr. Philip Quaye.
The Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) recently underwent a nationwide strike from November 29, 2023, to February 8, 2024. The association fought for improved conditions of service and, after extensive negotiations, signed the first part of its collective bargaining agreement in January 2023 and the addendum in July 2024.
However, some outstanding issues remain to be addressed. GAUA has prepared a new proposal for ratification at this year’s congress to address these concerns. The proposal focuses on rectifying disparities in the single-spine salary structure of university administrators, harmonized allowances, and the GTEC directive on sabbatical leave.
