Court restrains CCTU from appointing new Pro-VC until…
By DL News
Published
2 min read
The Court, presided over by Justice John-Mark Nuku Alifo thereby quashed an October 6, 2022 report by an Evaluation Committee of the University which denied Professor Samuel Kwame Ansah, an opportunity for re-appointment.
The High Court in Cape Coast has restrained the Cape Coast Technical University(CCTU) from appointing a new Pro Vice-Chancellor until the application by the immediate past one is properly considered in law.
The Court, presided over by Justice John-Mark Nuku Alifo thereby quashed an October 6, 2022 report by an Evaluation Committee of the University which denied Professor Samuel Kwame Ansah, an opportunity for re-appointment without any hearing.
The Immediate past Pro-VC of the School, Professor Samuel Kwame Ansah who was appointed in January 2020 instituted an action for the writs of Certiorari, and Prohibition directed at the University’s Governing Council for denying his request for an extension of office without any hearing.
He averred that after serving two and half years of his three-year tenure, he applied to the Chairman of the Governing Council, and an Evaluation Committee was constituted to that effect.
However, his request for a copy of their final report upon completion of their work was not granted.
The Governing Council subsequently denied his application for re-appointment for the reason that he had offended the University’s Statute which he denied but was never given any hearing.
On its part, the University denied this allegation indicating that the alleged breach was captured in the Draft Summary of the Evaluation Committee's report and that upon being informed, Prof Ansah admitted and apologized.
The crux of the matter was the school’s insistence that the professor should have rather gone to the School’s Appeals Board per its Statute but not the court.
In its ruling, the court established that the University’s Statute was not contemplated as an ouster clause capable of denying its jurisdiction to entertain the application.
Also, it found that the Professor was neither informed of any alleged breach of the Statute nor given an opportunity to be heard or put up any defense on the matter contrary to the University’s assertion.
As such, the court quashed the said decision of the Evaluation Committee and duly restrained the University and its Governing Council from appointing a new Pro Vice-Chancellor until Prof Samuel Kwame Ansah’s application was properly considered per law.
Log on to Dennislaw for the full ruling of the court.
