Students of TaTu demonstrating on campus
Students of Tamale Technical University (TaTU) have embarked on a demonstration to express their displeasure with what they describe as “unjust fee increases” and mismanagement by the university officials.
The demonstration has resulted in the injury of five students, who are currently receiving treatment at the university’s clinic.
The protest follows a formal petition submitted by the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG) and the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) to the Choggu Palace and the university authorities.
The students accused university management of neglecting their welfare, misusing internally generated funds, and attempting to implement a new fee increment without proper justification.
They claimed that the university is currently in a deplorable state, citing inadequate sanitation, a lack of running water in hostels despite high fees, delays in issuing certificates for graduates, and the absence of a well-equipped ICT lab, despite the collection of levies.
“Until now not a single promise made by management before we accepted the increase in school fees has been fulfilled. Now, there is another proposed fee increase. Why must we always pay without receiving anything in return? That is why we are demonstrating,” they lamented.
The angry students are calling for an independent forensic audit of the university’s finances over the past five years, a halt to all fee increases, and immediate actions to improve campus conditions.
They have vowed to continue their protest until their concerns are addressed by the government and relevant stakeholders.
School Response
Meanwhile, the Public Affairs Director of Tamale Technical University, Osman Mubarik, expressed regret over the unfortunate incidents that occurred during the demonstration.
“I must say this particular incident is regrettable. While students have the right to demonstrate, it is unfortunate that it escalated to this level. We have had several demonstrations at this school in the past that did not require police intervention,” he stated.
He noted that the university’s management has convened an emergency meeting to address the issues raised by the students.
Mr. Mubarik assured the students that the university is committed to finding solutions to their grievances.
“We will continue to engage with them to address their concerns, as they are the reason for the university’s existence. Without them, the university would not be here,” he assured.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale