An activism group on Knust Campus, Knust Student Activists has expressed their deep sadness and condemned management’s decision on abolishing the JCR leadership on campus.
According to them , this is an act of scrapping off students’ democratic power and rights.
“We are not happy to see continuous efforts to cut short the Democratic structures of residents of our university halls and others”
KSA therefore called on management to review their decision .This release comes after Knust Council decided to abolish JCR System managed by students.Management also banned Morale and set Dismissal as penalty for those found in such act.
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Knust Student Activists Press Release
We write to you today as advanced student Activists of this great university to express first, our deepest sadness, but also disheartened, regarding the decision to scrapping off students’ democratic powers and rights in the case of electing our own Junior Common Room (JCR) leaders. We are distressed to witness continuous efforts to cut short the democratic structures of residents of our university traditional halls.
This sadness stems from knowing the principles on which this great University was founded on and the recent attempt to pervert such. It is worthy to reiterate that students’ leadership must be accorded with greatest respect regardless of the conundrums.
Invariably, these are not mere moments for our Student Representative Council (SRC), student fronts, governance and leadership in KNUST. We beckon on the university management to note that this halloWed grounds for higher learning will never be without the presence of students. More than ordinary children we have learnt to be. More than following oblivious protocols we have surpassed. For once let us recall that a university becomes so because of the students and hence if structures of power, deep-rooted histories of oppression as well as prejudice, outright bigotry, and hatred directly and personally affect the lives of students in this university, KNUST, every minute and every hour.
We do not believe this is an attempt to continue to make student leadership live in fear for themselves, our vision, and also in dread of the very systems and structures that are supposed to be in place to ensure student leadership, governance, and democracy are safe and ensure justice and freedom.
The dream of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in whose vision we draw inspiration, envisaged not only the intellectual development of students but transcend to raising the youth into actionable leaders who will man the realm of affairs. We arc very capable to lead our activities. Mostly students anger comes from knowing that we have been here before, and in fact have never left.
There have been several breaches of the student democratic processes and this rages silent protests from students across the university. We kindly request that these raised voices about ongoing injustice in the wake of the student leadership and external interference as well as democratic interference must be properly addressed once and for all to avoid any unpleasant disturbances to ridicule the precious image of our university again.
We hastily call on all student leaders in KNUST and student associations like NUGS and USAG to help come together for a broader consultation to correct redeem these anomalies student leadership in KNUST is currently faced with. It’s not a question of race, it is a question of ideas.
