General News of Friday, 26 October 2018
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2018-10-26
Martin Kpebu
Martin Kpebu has suggested that the University Teachers Association of Ghana, (UTAG) can challenge the dissolution of the governing council of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), if it believes there has been a travesty of rule of law.
The private legal practitioner, however, said the verdict of the outcome they seek, will be to guard against future occurrences since the KNUST issue may have been long resolved before the Supreme Court gives a ruling.
“They may want to go to court for future purposes,” he told Daniel Dadzie on the Super Morning Show, Friday.
Mr Kpebu’s comments come in reaction to calls that President Nana Akufo-Addo acted arbitrarily by dissolving the KNUST governing council and instituting an “illegal” seven-member committee to man the affairs for the interim.
According to the lawyer, it is in the constitutional powers of the President to appoint the governing body of public corporations and councils of national higher education.
Former President of National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Hamza Suhuyini who also spoke to the show slammed the decision by the government to dissolve council.
“The quick manner government is handling the affairs is disturbing,” he noted. This suggests that council and Vice Chancellor were complicit, he added.
Mr Suhuyini said the appropriate measure the government should have taken was to form a committee to investigate the issues between the students and management of the school and then act on the recommendations of that committee.
The council was dissolved after fallouts between the management of the university and students turned sour.
Students went rogue on Monday, burning vehicles of staff and vandalising school property over what they describe as oppression from university management.
A government delegation led by the Education Minister, went to KNUST on Tuesday to meet the parties and find a way forward after which the council was dissolved.
Mr Suhuyini said the appropriate measure the government should have taken was to form a committee to investigate the issues between the students and management of the school and then act on the recommendations of that committee.
The council was dissolved after fallouts between the management of the university and students turned sour.
Students went rogue on Monday, burning vehicles of staff and vandalising school property over what they describe as oppression from university management.
A government delegation led by the Education Minister, went to KNUST on Tuesday to meet the parties and find a way forward after which the council was dissolved.