General News of Thursday, 25 October 2018
Source: 3news.com
2018-10-25
Deputy Minister for Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum
Deputy Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum has condemned the destruction of property at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology by students saying regardless the level of agitation, the students shouldn’t have gone to the extent of vandalizing properties.
He observed though KNUST has recorded a number of protests in the past, none resulted in the destruction of school property as happened last Monday when a peaceful protest by the students turned violent.
The students were protesting certain “arbitrary decisions” of the University management and the last Friday’s manhandling of some students who were holding a vigil in one of the university halls.
The Ashanti Regional Security Council was compelled to shut down the school indefinitely as government and stakeholders engage the university authorities and the student body to find a lasting solution to the impasse.
Commenting on the issue on Sunrise morning show on 3FM Thursday, the deputy Minister said “even if they are oppressed and repressed they shouldn’t destroy the school’s limited property, and that is something that under no circumstance should be contemplated”.
“Destruction of properties takes away the sympathy from you. We understand the frustration of the KNUST students but we cannot justify vandalism”
“Vandalism should not be tolerated, it cannot be justified by any stretch of imagination,” he told the host of 3FM’s Sunrise, Winston Amoah.
Dr. Adutwum said management of the university should understand that they would not always have their way the decisions they make, indicating that as leaders, they should know how to deal with the students they serve.
On the other hand, he cautioned students to also understand that things might not always go their way, and that resorting to vandalism will take away sympathy.