Navrongo (U/E) 16th Aug 1999

Students of the Navrongo campus of the University for Development Studies (UDS) on Friday went on a peaceful demonstration on their campus to back their demand for improved facilities.

With red bands on their wrists and heads, and chanting patriotic songs, the students led journalists through the campus to witness some of the facilities that were in a state of disrepair.

These included a dilapidated makeshift building that is being used as "Great Hall and Canteen", deplorable toilet facilities, cracked walls of lecture halls and lecturers bungalows and the generally poor drainage on the campus.

The President of the Navrongo Campus branch of the UDS Student's Representative Council (SRC), Mr Michael Buxton, said their "action was not to undermine the authorities of the university, but to draw attention to the need to improve the woefully inadequate facilities and the deplorable conditions on the campus."

He said the core facilities of the campus, which were inherited from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, have not undergone any rehabilitation and as a result, the structures are falling apart.

Mr Buxton said heavy rains this year have also turned most parts of the school campus into "overseas" areas, thus making it difficult for students to go about their academic activities freely because of the poor drainage system.

Besides, he said, puddles formed as a result of the rains have turned into breeding grounds for mosquitoes and toads.

"Whenever there is a downpour, students have to literally swim through muddy water to attend lectures", Mr Buxton added.

The SRC President appealed to the authorities to provide enough funds to help address their problems emphasising the need for President Rawlings in particular to ensure that his baby university is saved from collapse.

On the decision by university authorities nation-wide to increase fees the students made it clear that they were not prepared to pay any amount in excess of fees paid last year and that they would "fiercely resist any attempt to impose any additional fees" on them.

Later in an interview with the press, Professor Z. K. M. Batse, Dean of the Faculty of Integrated Development Studies (IDS) said the concerns of the students were being addressed gradually.

Professor Batse disclosed that the government has made provision in the 1999 medium term budget for funds to improve upon the water supply system at the Navrongo campus and that the university authorities have contracted a drilling firm to provide technical and financial proposals for work to begin.

He said in July members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education visited the campus to find out some of its problems and said he hoped that they would take urgent action on some of the students' concerns.

The Dean, however, acknowledged the state of inadequate facilities at the Navrongo campus and other campuses of the UDS.

He said because of this, the university might be able to admit only 60 students out of more than 500 applicants to the faculty of integrated studies next academic year.