Government’s directive on KNUST new council spot on; UTAG should compromise – Ghanaians

Some Ghanaians have sided with government’s directive on setting up a new council in its bid to resolve the crisis that led to the indefinite closing down of the Kwame University of Science and Technology weeks ago.

The university was supposed to reopen today, November 8 for academic activities to continue but due to the ongoing impasse between government and labour unions over the selection of representatives on the new council, students are still home not knowing when they would be called back to school.

Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah at a press conference on November 5 said government does not expect any member of the old University Council to be part of the new one because it believes members of the previous KNUST governing council were partly to be blamed for the disturbance on campus. However, UTAG and TEWU branch of KNUST came out insisting its old representatives remain on the council condemning government’s demands.

According to the executives, they will not yield to government’s demand that UTAG should select only new members to represent it on the council. But some Ghanaians upon speaking to GhanaWeb said UTAG must succumb to demands of the government and have the interest of the students at heart.

Although they believe there is more to be done by the government to resolve the current crisis, they insist government’s current stance on it is the best and will be a win-win situation to all parties involved. KNUST has experienced disturbances recently following a demonstration embarked on by the students over what they described as unwarranted brutalities meted out to them.

On October 22, 2018, some of the aggrieved students took to the streets on campus protesting vehemently about the university’s alleged manhandling of some of their colleagues, destroying several properties in the process that led to the closure of the university. On Wednesday, Members of Parliament (MPs) urged government to work with stakeholders to resolve the issue by ensuring an immediate reopening.

They called for the speedy reconstitution of the University Council and restoration of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kwasi Obiri-Danso and also asked government to as a matter of urgency, continue engagements with the Chancellor of the University, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, in executing the roadmap to the opening of the university within the stipulated time.

They further called on the various stakeholders, including UTAG-KNUST, TEWU, GRASAG, the SRC and Alumni Body to work conscientiously with one goal of restoring full academic and administrative work on campus.