Embattled Rector of the Wa Polytechnic, Prof Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu says Minister of Education, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, is too young to be ordering him [professor] around and that his decisions are creating problems for the Akufo-Addo-led government.
According to the Rector of the Wa Polytechnic, the Education Minister Mathew Opoku Prempeh is noted for taking arbitrary decisions without considering laid-down procedures.
The Wa Polytechnic rector is of the view that despite the fact that President Akufo-Addo is implementing good policies such as the Free Senior High School (SHS) programme, the conduct of some of his ministers, including the education minister is causing a dent in the performance of the administration.
Prof Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu, therefore, appealed to Mr. Opoku Prempeh to reconsider his ways of taking decisions as far as polytechnic education is concerned.
The Rector of Wa Polytechnic Prof Emmanuel Marfo-Owusu’s comments is anchored on attacks on him by some lecturers at the Wa Polytechnic on Monday, April 9, 2018.
Some irate lecturers of the school, on Monday, April 9, 2018 afternoon chased out the Rector for allegedly procuring a vehicle for himself at the cost of over GHS500,000 without the approval of the Governing Council.
Speaking on an Accra based radio station, Accra FM today April 10, 2018, Prof Marfo-Owusu said: “Dr Opoku Prempeh is one of the reasons this is happening, he takes arbitrary decisions and insists that people should comply. He cannot take such decisions and instruct people like me to comply, I am older than him, he is not above me in terms of our academic qualifications. I respect the office of the Minister but the Minister must also respect us.â€
“As we speak, he has dismissed the rector of Cape Coast Polytechnic without recourse to the laid-down procedure.
“His conduct is hurting the NPP. Although the president has implemented the free SHS, they will need to be careful with the attitude of the minister.â€