By Kodjo
Adams, GNA
Accra, Sept. 18, GNA – Mr Charles Dontoh, the
President of Katanga Alumni Association of the Kwame Nkrumah University of
Science and Technology on Tuesday described the decision to convert Katanga and
Unity Halls into mixed ones as unsustainable approach.
He said the university management’s
explanation that the reason for the conversion was to accommodate the female
students on campus to protect them from the activities of rapists and
incidences of attempts to rape, was unacceptable.
Mr Dontoh stressed that the University
management’s explanation did not hold water, changing the status of the halls
have not solved any problem related to accommodation as many students continue
to rely on accommodation outside the campus.
The Katanga Alumni President said this at a
joint press briefing in Accra to state the Association’s position on the
actions by the university management.
He said the number of females assigned to
Katanga was equal to the number of males who would have been potentially residents
in the hall.
“As we speak now, the management of KNUST have
dislodge all males from the main hall of Katanga with 198 rooms and admitted
females into the said rooms leaving only the annex for the males, which has
only 96 rooms.
“We have been pondering over how the
University management could increase the number of female residents on campus
without discriminating against the males given that, there have not been
attempts to construct new halls of residence for student,” he said.
The lack of vision by the management had
resulted in the unfortunate policy of in-out-out–out, where only the freshmen
are being accommodated on campus.
Mr Dontoh expressed concern about security on
campus, adding that recently, three students of Katanga were arrested at the
instance of the management for attempting to go to the poolside on campus and
were incarcerated for two days in the police cells.
He said the hall executives who have been
voted for, have been denied accommodation on campus on condition that they
would be considered for accommodation if they withdraw a legal suit pending
before the High Court in Kumasi.
Mr Patrick Baah Dadzie, the Past President of
KNUST Unity Hall Alumni also said the Katanga and the Unity Halls Association
have had series of discussions with the Vice-Chancellor and proposed viable
solutions to the accommodation challenges faced by the students.
He said the association brought an Estate
Developer from US and some Architects to present some plans but the management
did not heed to their plans, but rather resorted to implementing the mixed
halls system.
Mr Dadzie said both Katanga and Unity Alumni,
would not relent on their oars but shall continue to resort to all available
legal and acceptable means to ensure that the accommodation problems on campus
was solved in a better, pragmatic and more sustainable way.
GNA