General News of Wednesday, 10 May 2017
Source: citifmonline.com
2017-05-10
John Peter Amewu
The government has closed down the Ghana School of Surveying and Mapping (GSSM) following recent clashes over land at the school.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Amewu, also ordered that the school’s staff be reassigned.
Thus, “students are directed to vacate the school premises and the hostel facilities with immediate effect,” Mr. Amewu said.
Tensions at the school escalated when students clashed with land guards on the school’s premises in protest against the sale of their school land by the Lands Commission on Tuesday, May 2, 2017.
The agitating students
“I direct the management of the Lands Commission to ensure that the staff at the school should be re-assigned other duties that would effectively support the agenda to reduce the turnaround time in land title registration in the country.”
Following the developments, Mr. Amewu served further notice during the press conference that “since the project site has been handed over to the contractors, unauthorized persons are not to be permitted on the premises and the contractors to take full responsibility of the site.”
He also advised contractors to “remove all unauthorized structures on the project site.”
MP backs sale of school land for shopping mall
In December 2016, a Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Forestry, Albert Abongo, condemned a demonstration by students of the Ghana School of Surveying and Mapping over what they say claim is an illegal sale of their land to a private developer.
Allegations are that the land has been sold to some foreign investors to build a shopping mall but the students argue that the Lands Commission failed to consult them before taking the decision.
