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‘Katanga’ Alumni unveils new interim executive committee to engage Management on campus’ impasse

As part of reforms to deal with the perennial vandalism and related issues that have plagued members of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s University Hall (Katanga) and the Unity Hall (Continental), the Katanga alumni has unveiled a new interim management executive committee to coordinate affairs of the alumni association and bring a lasting solution to the issues on campus. Purefmonline.com reports.

The University Hall Global Alumni Association on Friday 2nd September 2022 at its Emergency Meeting appointed a seven (7) man Interim Executive Committee to manage the affairs of the association and come out with practical recommendations for the Management of the university to adopt in order to deal with the reoccurring violent attacks visited by some members of the hall on colleagues which cost lives and destroy school properties.

The interim management team is made up of Fellow; Nana Otu Turkson, Lieutenant Colonel Carl Sabah, Engineer Frederick Bediako–Mensah, Dr. Collins Kankam Kwarteng, Mr. Augustine Boateng, Dr William Osei Mensah and Mr. Gabriel Amoah. They are charged with working with the outgoing team led by Mr. Anthony Avege and Mr. Dontoh in coordinating the reform of the association as well as preparation for the election of new officers.

In a communique, the interim management team expressed disappointment in the KNUST University Council’s decision to suspend the Junior Common Room system describing it as most regrettable.

They questioned the rationale behind the resolution and highlighted that the University no less has decided to curtail the democratic rights of its students in favour of a ‘communist style appointment system’.

The team stated that the Alumni association will not sit by unconcerned whilst the University reduces tertiary education to what they described as ‘elementary levels’.

Have a read at the full statement below.

“The University Hall, Katanga Global Alumni Association on Friday 2nd September 2022 at its Emergency Meeting appointed a seven (7) man Interim Executive Committee to coordinate the affairs of the association to better prepare it deal with the perennial issues that have plagued Katanga and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology for many years.

The meeting resolved that, whilst the recent occurrences on campus were regrettable, it was the culmination of years of knee jerk policies that are denying students their rights to develop themselves in becoming responsible future leaders devoid of fear and intimidation. From the days when the University Administration decided that students will only be in the halls for two years of their stay on campus (“IN OUT IN OUT”) to today’s situation where students are only allocated halls in the first year (“IN OUT OUT OUT”). The control and guidance that was previously brought to bear on students is no longer there. Before they started to tinkle with the system for whatever reason, a first-year student was given a proper orientation as to what the dos and don’ts were for Katangees and these were strictly enforced by senior students. That control is no longer there so it is not surprising that first year students mostly turn up on campus with their secondary school rivalries unchecked and do regrettably get into some mischief from time to time.

Be that as it may, the decision by the University Council to suspend the Junior Common Room system in the University is most regrettable. We cannot believe that in an age where even primary school pupils are allowed to freely campaign and elect their leaders, a university no less has decided to curtail the democratic rights of its students in favour of a communist style appointment system and what could be the justification for this wholesale ban? That less than 500 students in a student population of over 80,000 were involved in disturbances? How can that be justified? We as Katangees cannot sit by unconcerned whilst the University reduces tertiary education to elementary levels. The least we can do is to call for a national dialogue on the matter of university administration and student affairs. Perhaps it is time to revisit the University Bill to ensure that freedoms are not only guaranteed to the academics and administrators but also the students without whom there is no university.

We note sadly that only 16% of the course offered by the university are accredited as well as some malpractices on campus. As stakeholders, we implore the University to get its house in order because just as they consider the disturbances of students as negative to the image of the university, it is more damning to the image of the university when over 80% of its courses are not accredited. Katangees are more than willing to use its industry to assist the university to attain compliance in this direction if called upon.

In the coming weeks, the leadership of Katanga Alumni will seek to embark on meeting and engaging all stakeholders including the Chancellor, the University Management, Students of the Halls and Student Leadership across the various groups to find a holistic solution to these perennial campus issues. This step is crucial and necessary, because students embroiled in these upheavals are the next generation of leaders on the national front and must therefore not be taken for granted or turned into timorous souls as the training and character developed in the university is what translates into the quality of leadership for the country.

It must be reiterated that the Katanga Alumni Leadership stands by and with all Katangees and will continue to support or guide them as may be necessary so that we shall all take our rightful place in the development of the nation. Katanga is not and has never been for violence but for positive dynamism, speaking truth to power, defending the defenseless and building leaders worthy of example for the country’s future.

Interim Executive Committee
Katanga (University Hall) Alumni. We Rest Not! Contacts: 0551399111 /0559285832/0550206565”

Source: Purefmonline.com || Ghana || 2022

Evans Osei-Bonsu

Evans is a radio producer @PureFM (95.7MHz) under the Angel Broadcasting Network (ABN Ghana), writer, student of Law and Politics at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

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