The governing council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has been dissolved with immediate effect.
KNUST about 4days ago has been closed down indefinitely following a [ads1]violent protest by students which resulted in the destruction of school properties worth millions of Ghana cedis.
Meanwhile, a seven-member interim council has been inaugurated to run the affairs of the university for the next three months.
Government has also directed that the university should be reopened within fourteen days to enable academic work to continue.
The statement explained that the development follows briefs and recommendations made by the Minister for Education, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh after he led a delegation, including the Minister for National Security, Mr. Albert Kan Dapaah and the Minister-Designate for Information, Mr. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to Kumasi on Tuesday.
Background:
KNUST has been on fires since the authorities have taken a decision to converts all single-sex halls (University Hall- Katanga; Unity Hall- Continentals and Africa Hall ) of residence to mixed halls.
The decision of the has faced tough opposition from the student’s body and the alumni bodies especially Kantaga and Conti but the university authorities insisted their decision cannot be reversed.
The alumni of both Katanga and Conti have filed a court injunction to restrain the management of the university from implementing the policy but the High Court in Kumasi refused their application.
The university has following the introduction of the all mixed hall policy also banned the playing of drums and singing at the Conti and Katanga – a practice which is normally called by these students as “Moraa and charging” traditions of the two single-sex male halls.
Some group of students were reported to have defiled the ban on the singing and drumming about a week ago which has led to a confrontation between the students and the university security. One student is said to have been beaten to a pulp and others arrested and detained at the KNUST Police Station.
This they say was the last straw the broke the Camel’s back. Student leaders on October 21 then served notice they will embark on demonstration and also boycott lecture over what they described as brutality on them.
The demonstration which started peacefully in the morning of October 22, 2018 turn bloody prompting the Ashanti Regional Security Council to close down the university while pressure mounts on the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Obiri Danso to resign.
Read statement from Government:
GOVERNMENT DISSOLVES KNUST COUNCIL, INTERIM COUNCIL IN PLACE, KNUST TO REOPEN WITH 14 DAYS.
Government has dissolved the KNUST Council and, in its stead, put in place a 7-member Interim Council. It has also directed that the University reopens within fourteen days to enable academic work to continue.
This follows briefs and recommendations made by the Minister for Education, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh after he led a high powered delegation, including the Minister for National Security, Hon. Albert Kan Dapaah and the Minister-Designate for Information, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah to Kumasi.
It will be recalled that on Monday 22nd October 2018, there were disturbances on KNUST campus in Kumasi during which property was vandalized. The university was subsequently shut down indefinitely upon the advice of the Regional Security Council.
The view of the university management, as the delegation observed, was that increasingly, there had been acts of wayward behavior, hooliganism and incidents of violence on campus, hence the need to take steps to protect life and property.
The position of the student leadership was that the issues go beyond the university’s policy to convert all the halls of residence into mixed sex halls. It emerged further that the students felt oppressed by some policies of the university authorities and that they lived in fear. They believed they did not have enough opportunities for conflict resolution and dialogue with the authorities, resulting in a breakdown of trust between students and the authorities.
Government’s immediate priority is to expedite the reopening of the university to ensure a smooth return to academic work. This view is shared by the university’s lecturers. Government is also mindful of an adverse international image the country would suffer if the university remained closed for a protracted period, especially given the substantial number of foreign students at KNUST. However, government has been advised by the Ashanti Regional Security Council that without a resolution of the relevant matters, it would not be safe to reopen the university.
The Ministry took the view that the Governing Council was not in a position to review its own processes and decisions affecting the student body to guarantee peace. Subsequently, the Ministry of Education recommended to government the suspension of the university’s Governing Council and the establishment of an Interim Council.
The government subsequently directed the suspension of the KNUST Governing Council and the establishment of a seven-member Interim Management Committee (IMC) chaired by Nana Effah Apenteng, Paramount Chief of the Bompata Traditional Area. The IMC, which was inaugurated earlier today, has a three-month mandate to oversee the day-to-day running of the university and to investigate all outstanding matters in order to expedite the reopening of the university.
Government unreservedly condemns the damage to private and public property during the disturbances as unacceptable in any circumstances, and states for emphasis that those found culpable following investigations will be surcharged accordingly.
It is the expectation of government that the IC will work assiduously per its terms of reference, culminating in the early reopening of the university to restore normalcy.
Source: AwakeNewsOnline.com