Authorities at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) have abolished the Junior Common Room(JCR) System of hall management by students following the Conti-Katanga clash.
This decision means that there shall be no student elections for hall executives starting from the 2023/2024 Academic year.
The bold directive comes after the Executive Committee of KNUST suspended hall week and Student Representative Council (SRC) week celebrations indefinitely on Friday, 19 August 2022.
In a press statement issued by the school’s Council after an emergency meeting held on Friday, 26 August 2022, it said the “existing governance structure comprising Hall Councils, Hall Masters, and Senior Tutors would continue to operate in the management of the affairs of the Halls.”
The school added that any student who participates in the organization of ‘morale’ or ‘procession’ should be dismissed.
Also, any student caught harbouring a dismissed student or an alumnus in the halls will be sanctioned by the school’s authorities.
“Students who indulge in any act which will warrant dismissal will have their names and pictures widely published in the national dailies and on the University website,” the statement added.
The Council further condemned the recent clash between two halls that led to the destruction of properties and 12 people getting injured.
They also expressed profound gratitude to the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Ghana Police Service, and the Ghana Armed Forces for their role in restoring calm on campus.
Background
Violence broke out between two halls of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) on 18 August 2022.
The clash that started on the school’s campus around 5 pm was between the University Hall (Katanga) and Unity Hall (Continental).
This left 12 students injured, whiles properties and three cars parked in front of the Continental Hall were destroyed.
The riot is said to have ensued when students from Katanga attempted to use a route in front of Conti in a procession as part of their Hall week celebrations.
As part of the celebrations, University Hall commenced what they call a ‘Zulu procession’ through some parts of the campus, but their colleagues at Unity Hall tried to stop them from using their frontage.
This led to students pelting stones at each other.
For over a decade, the two halls agreed never to go beyond the Peace Junction when on processions.
Personnel from the Ghana police were deployed to the school to prevent the situation from escalating further.
Reports suggest that the rampage started when a student from the Mensah Sarbarh Hall was beaten and his phone taken away during the ‘Sarbahfest’ celebration.
The resident returned to report the issue to his colleagues at the hall, who followed him to the Commonwealth Hall to fight back.
A vehicle at the Mensah Sarbah Hall car park was set ablaze while a bust of John Mensah Sarbah, situated outside the Mensah Sarbah Hall, was stolen.