Education ministry to meet KNUST authorities, students over clashes

A delegation from the Ministry of Education under the leadership of the sector minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, will Tuesday October 23 meet authorities and students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) over the clashes on the university campus.

This follows a Monday morning demonstration by some aggrieved students, which turned violent leading to the vandalising of property.

The situation further degenerated into the indefinite closure of the university by the Ashanti Regional Security Council.

The Ashanti regional minister, Simon Osei Mensah, disclosed that after touring the campus to assess the level of destruction by the rioting students, “the executive committee at an emergency meeting has in consultation with the regional security council unanimously agreed and further directed the closure of the University”.

But the Ministry of Education said “it has noted with concern developments on the campus of the KNUST in Kumasi, particularly with regard to bodily injuries and the detention of some students, as well as the destruction of public property”.

A statement under the signature of the director of communications at the ministry, Vincent Ekow Assafuah , called for calm heads as a step to resolving the issue, noting the meeting will come off on the university campus at 10:00 AM.

Meanwhile, the students have been given up to Tuesday, October 23 noon to vacate the campus premises until further notice.

A curfew has also been imposed from 6:00 PM today to 8:00 AM tomorrow with a heavy presence of security on campus to help ensure law and order.