GIJ Management sued for interfering in SRC elections

Some aggrieved students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) have dragged the Management of the school to the High Court accusing it of interfering in the affairs of the Students Representative Council (SRC).

Management of the school in February this year announced its decision not to recognize the appointed leaders spearheading the affairs of the students as SRC executives.

According to management, “appointment of students to hold office as SRC leaders is alien to the SRC Constitution and in any case did not follow the procedure for the selection of student leaders as stipulated in the SRC Constitution.”

This was sighted in a communiqué issued to students on Thursday, February 11, 2021.

However, some of the students who were vetted and approved to hold office were asked to step down.

They have since filed a suit at the High Court challenging the decision of the school.

In their statement of claim, the aggrieved students want the court to make a declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 30 of the GIJ SRC Constitution, the action of the SRC President in suspending Article 20(1)(b) of the constitution and getting the Plaintiffs appointed as Interim SRC executives was a lawful exercise of authority.

The Plaintiffs also want a declaration that they were legitimately appointed Interim SRC representatives and ought to be recognized as such.

They also want a declaration that by provisions of the GIH SRC undergraduate students handbook, the Management of the school has no mandate to interfere in the affairs of the SRC unless requested in between students and their leadership in extreme cases which threaten normal academic work.

The Plaintiffs are also seeking an order setting aside the 15 member Interim Management Committee for students of the school, as unconstitutional, null and void, and of no legal effect.

They also seeking any other reliefs as the court may deem just.

Students of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ) were expected to go to the polls virtually today to elect members to constitute a 15 member GIJ-SRC interim committee.

According to the Dean of Students, voting was to start at 8:00 am and end at 5:00 pm of which results will be declared within 24hours after the close of polls.

But the aggrieved students have secured an injunction on the polls.

In all, 33 students filed for nominations to be a part of the committee.

Background

A seven-member committee was set up by the immediate past SRC to vet interested aspirants who had expressed interest in occupying executive positions of the SRC.

But according to management, “some students petitioned the office of the Dean of Students and other principal members of GIJ to intervene in student governance since the current leaders were not legitimately elected by students through elections as required by the SRC Constitution.

After submission of a report by the Dean of Students to the Rector of GIJ Professor Kwamima Kwansah- Aidoo, management came to a conclusion not to “recognize the unlawful appointment of SRC executives and advises the appointed leaders not to hold themselves out or allow themselves to be held out as representatives of students of GIJ”.

The Management added that “students shall elect a minimum of ten (10) and a maximum of seventeen (17) students representing the various constituencies of the student body to act on an interim basis to put in place structures, institutions and a timetable for the conduct of elections. The elected students shall liaise with the office of Dean of Students to ensure a smooth transition from an interim student body to the election of permanent leaders in accordance with the SRC Constitution”.