The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has justified its decision for suspending 22 students over the clashes between Atlantic (ATL) and Oguaa Halls during a hall week celebration.
UCC in a statement signed by its acting Director, Maj. Kofi Baah-Bentwum (Rtd) said management of the school took the decision because the affected students were negligent in their duties.
“The other twenty-one (21) students made up of JCRC executives and the Planning Committee showed disregard to University Authorities and were negligent in their duties, thus leading to non-compliance with directives from the Dean of Students. Their collective negligence and disregard for lawful instructions are tantamount to insubordination contrary to Article 45 (a) of the Students’ Handbook,” the statement added.
The school also said “the Atlantic Hall Junior Common Room Committee (JCR) did nothing to prevent the coming of their ‘traditional allies’ to participate in their Hall Week Celebration as they were expected to do.”
The school also noted that the suspension does not include the criminal aspect which resulted in some of the students sustaining varied degrees of injuries as well as the destruction of school properties.
“It must also be noted that this punishment does not preclude the criminal aspects of the act which the police are handling,” the statement added.
At least, three students were stabbed at UCC in March 2017 when a clash erupted between some enraged students of the University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, who had been invited to the celebration, and UCC students.
A UCC student, Emmanuel Quarshie, was paralysed after he was stabbed several times in the course of the clashes while entering his hall from night studies.
The clashes occurred when porters of Oguaa Hall refused to allow some naked Vandals, Unity and ATL students from entering the hall.
Several properties worth thousands of Ghana Cedis belonging to Oguaa Hall were vandalized during the scuffle.
Some vehicles belonging to some lecturers were also destroyed.
Following the campus disturbances the Vice-Chancellor constituted an eight (8) Member Disciplinary Committee with a mandate to investigate the matter.
The statement explained that the committee held series of meetings, interviewed the JCRC and Planning Committee Members and also called witnesses during its investigation and recommended that “all JCRC executives and Planning Committee members should be rusticated for two (2) semesters with effect from Second Semester, [and] are therefore, expected to report at the beginning of the Second Semester, 2017/2018 academic year to continue their programmes of study.
Others were also rusticated for four semesters.
“Consequently, the Vice-Chancellor approved the recommendation and it has since taken effect. It must be noted that the Public and the University acted within Its Statutes and the Students Hand Book. Management wishes to inform the University Community that it does not take delight in punishing its own students without reasonable justification but had to act in the interest of the entire University,” the statement added.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
