A few days ago, we heard a top personality in the University Teachers Association Of Ghana (UTAG) speaking in a manner which was outright incitement of the students of the University Of Education, Winneba (UEW).
The rowdy scene which engulfed the campus of the tertiary institution on Thursday and which led to its closure has an obvious correlation with the hateful remarks of the gentleman.
Ordinarily, such persons should be at the forefront of calming tempers as amicable ways of addressing disagreements are sought.
Now the most dreadful has happened-academic work has been disrupted; the repercussions of which would affect parents, students and the country in general.
We have learnt about the destructions which took place and are pained that the state would bear the cost of the necessary replacements.
Irresponsible remarks by persons holding important positions should be condemned as in the case under review. At the time that the gentleman was indirectly inciting the students, nobody in authority bothered to call him to order.
Now, therefore, is the time to invite him to find out whether he is happy about what eventually happened. Had some casualties been recorded, we wonder how the inciter would have felt.
Couldn’t the infighting in the institution be managed? It has been allowed to culminate into an unsavoury occurrence.
Perhaps now that things have taken this negative turn, action would be taken to ensure a long lasting resolution of the debacle which has festered for far too long.
Of course, a committee should be set up by the authorities to probe what happened. It is our position that such a body should be given adequate powers to delve into all facets of the problem. That is the only way to deal with this issue for the general good and holistically.
Those behind the lawlessness which overshadowed everything on the campus of UEW can easily be fished out. These persons must be made to face the music no matter who they are.
Exacting sanctions is necessary as an effective means of obviating future recurrence and we hereby recommend it.
Students sometimes get carried away when riots begin as they did at UEW. Previous occurrences on other campuses such as the immediate past one, KNUST, should educate students about the importance of discipline especially within a group as in a university.
Some identifiable students, the ring leaders, would put their parents in distressful situations and this is regrettable.
Be it as it may, we pray the relevant authorities to expedite action on the issue especially the probe.
We are not on the side of those who mismanage their offices but would rather such allegations are channeled properly for attention. In the case of the alleged embezzlement, there are state institutions established for such purposes. Destruction and even threat to lives is not the way to go.