President of the Science Students’ Association (SCISA), and a member of the KNUST SRC Parliamentary council, Mr Samuel Sesah has petitioned the SRC president, Mr. Kelvin Sah to use his office to initiate negotiation with management of the University as well as management of the traditional halls on campus to allow students who will wish to stay back during the Christmas break to do so.
According to the MP for SCISA constituency, his action is borne out of a myriad of concerns he gathered in his interaction with some residence of the traditional halls as well as some of his constituents (members of the Science Students’ Association).
It has emerged that authorities of the traditional halls and hostels on campus have given notices to residence of these halls and hostels to vacate their rooms during the Christmas break.
“The university will officially be breaking for the Christmas holidays from 21st December, 2018. The Halls will be closed to all students from 12 noon on Saturday 22nd December 2018. You are required to remove all your personal belongings from your rooms, submit your keys and sign out of the register from the hall assistants offices,” a notice from Unity Hall Management stated.
It will be recalled that the students’ demonstration that resulted in the closure of the university for about a month necessitated a change in the academic calendar of the university. With the new academic calendar, the university is expected to break for Christmas from the 22nd of December to 4th of January 2019. The new arrangement also means that the university will conduct its first semester examination after the Christmas break from 4th January to 19th January, 2019 after which the university will vacate for another two weeks before beginning the second semester.
The KNUST SRC parliamentary council legislature believes that his decision to petition the office of the SRC president on a matter of this magnitude is apt since it is not only consistent with the SRC president’s call on all students’ activists to channel their concerns to his office for redress but also with chapter two article six under the functions of the SRC as being to (a)serve as a mouthpiece of the entire student body of the university; (b)advice in matters relating to the general welfare of students.
“I believe more can be achieved in student’s governance in line with serving the purposes of the mandate of the SRC, and on the premises of the call on students’ activism to be channeled through your office in your last address at the just ended state of SRC address, am of complete certainty and assurance of your preparedness to attend to an issue of such pressing nature,” Mr Sesah stated.
While acknowledging that the status quo that halls of residence are closed down whenever students of the university are on vacation, Mr Sesah is upbeat that his petition will give a positive feedback.
Read Full Petition Below:
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Source: Aaron Babu/focusfmonline.com