, A DOORWAY TO DICTATORSHIP IN OUR UNIVERSITIES

The decision of by the Executive Committee of the University of Ghana to make Commonwealth Hall a graduate hall for male and female students has attracted several reactions from many people. While some support the idea on the basis that the University authorities reserve the right to take such a decision, others are of the view that it does not affect students academically hence there is no point wailing over the issue.

The decision is attributed to the alleged heckling of the Mr. Kofi Annan, former United Nations General Secretary and Chancellor of the University as well as other dignitaries who attended the 2010 Congregation of the University. It is intended to check the “unruly” behaviours of the Vandals.

Indeed, unruly behaviours by students that drag the name of the University into ill-repute cannot be supported in any way. However, I think the university authorities have prescribed the wrong medication after proper diagnosis. Students do not have to belong to the same hall of residence before they could mobilise and engage in any untoward behaviour. What happens if after converting Commonwealth Hall into a mixed hall for graduate students and at next year’s congregation a similar incident occurs? Would the University authorities find another hall of residence to convert?

I am of the view that there is a completely different dimension to the issue. The decision is just an attempt to suppress students view in disguise. For many years now the only student groups that have been able to resist oppressive and student unfriendly policies of university authorities are Vandals, Kantangees and Casfordians in University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and University of Cape Coast respectively. Dealing with students of these halls has been a major challenge to the authorities of the universities. As a result, many leaders in these halls are handed stiff punishments with the least offence just to cow other students. Some years back, there were rumours that a similar decision was being taken by authorities of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology but it never materialised.

If the Commonwealth Hall decision is left to stand, we should not be surprised when KNUST and UCC authorities follow suit. University authorities will therefore have a field day to continually repress the views of students and impose unfavourable decisions on them. In spite of the fact that students have representation on committees and boards of the various universities, they are not represented on certain committees like the Executive Committee hence decisions are taken without students’ views. In cases where students’ are represented, it has become merely cosmetic since senior members who are more than student representatives always have their way.

If university authorities are convinced that a student or groups of students have engaged in acts of indiscipline they should find the culprits and penalise them accordingly. Resorting to acts that seek to repress students’ views and intimidate them will not solve the problem.

We should also not lose sight of the fact that the decision has far reaching implications for students’ housing next academic year where freshmen and continuing students who otherwise would have stayed in Commonwealth Hall will have no where to stay.

Prosper Hoetu E-mail: pyhoetu@gmail.com