Closure of UEW: ‘Don’t visit sins of a father on children’ – NUGS

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) is urging students of the University of Education Winneba to remain calm as the student umbrella body engaged authorities on current developments in the university.

The predominantly teacher training institution is facing a court action propelled by a former Assemblyman of Donkoryiem, Supi Kofi Kwayera over the continuous stay of the university’s council whose mandatory four year term expired in 2013, but the Minister of Education at the time Prof. Jane Naana Agyemang directed it to act until a substantive one is appointed.

However disgruntled Supi Kwayera in a suit filed at a Winneba High Court wants all the decisions taken by the Council to be declared null and void and also seeking the declaration that the extension of the mandate of the Governing Council by the University and Education Ministry was in breach of Section 8 of Act 972 of the constitution.

Presiding judge, Justice Ato Graves Mills on June 13, 2017, granted an injunction requested by Supi Kwayera for the closure of the university and also asked for the current Vice Chancellor of the school and other senior members to be restrained from exercising their duties.

The NUGS General Secretary, Paul Gyan has told XYZ News’ Joe Bright Nyarko the student body learnt of these developments in the media and was preparing to engage authorities of the school on the repercussions of the actions instigated by the court action on the academic work of students.

It is estimated that over 4,600 students would be affected by the injunction; especially final year students in all the four satellite campuses of the university located in Kumasi, Mampong, Winneba and Ajumako. There are uncertainties the university may be compelled to recall certificates issued under the disputed Governing Council which means students would have to sort of; ‘re-congregate’. These certificates include PHDs, Degrees and Diplomas.

But the NUGS General Secretary says: “the students have not committed any crime and so I think it is just like you cannot visit the sins of a father to the son or to the daughter, and I think when we get to that, the law as it stands would explain itself for both parties to understand”.

Mr Gyan urged students undertaking their academic projects to go ahead but was however worried those who needed to process their National Service placements would suffer.

Meanwhile, the University issued a statement appealing to students not to be disheartened by the High court decision ordering the shutdown of the school. The statement dated June 13^th 2017 and signed by the registrar, C.Y Akwaa-Mensah said in order not to flout the directive of the court, the university had been directed by the university community to communicate the closure of all campuses.

By: Joe Bright Nyarko