Leadership of Katanga and Conti Alumni in a meeting with President Akufo- Addo at Jubilee House
Alumni and students of the University Hall (Katanga) and Unity Hall (Conti) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which have been converted into mixed halls, are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to overturn the decision.
Authorities at KNUST, led by the University Council, decided to convert the two halls at the beginning of the 2018/2019 academic year to the chagrin of the alumni and students of the male two halls.
All efforts by the alumni and students to get the University authorities to rescind its decision have proved futile.
After several unsuccessful protests, leadership of the alumni of the two traditional halls decided to petition President Akufo-Addo.
In their petition, the alumni appealed to the President to instruct the Ministers of Education and the Interior to put measures in place to ensure that students pursue their academic goals without intimidation, harassment and physical abuse by the University authorities, as well as state and campus security personnel.
They also entreated the President to instruct the Minister for Education to present to him and Cabinet a comprehensive proposal addressing the acute shortage of residential and academic facilities on campus, and lastly an order for the reversal of the recent actions by the University to convert University and Unity Halls into mixed halls.
During the meeting at the Jubilee House in Accra on Wednesday, leader of the delegation Charles Dontoh, who doubles as President of the Katanga Alumni Association, indicated that they decided not to petition the University Council because they were of the opinion it sanctioned the actions of the Vice Chancellor.
Present at the meeting were Stephen Asante Bekoe, legal adviser and counsel for the Katanga Alumni, Osei Agyemang-Badu, an alumnus; Patrick Baah Dadzie, Secretary to the Conti Alumni Association; Anthony Avege, Organizing Secretary for the Katanga Alumni; Daniel Adjokatcher, Protocol Officer of the Unity Hall Alumni and Stallone Nyarko, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Unity Hall Alumni.
President Akufo-Addo, on his part, assured the alumni and students of the University and Unity Halls that he would consult the University Council to find an amicable solution to the impasse.
The President said he would initiate a process through the Minister for Education to engage the highest decision-making body of the university to address the issues.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent