KNUST BEGINS ACADEMIC WORK TODAY

Reliable information from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) indicate that, barring any unforeseen development, academic work will start at the university today (Monday), after nearly one month of interruption.

The university was temporarily closed down some four weeks ago, following violent protests by irate students, which led to the massive destruction of public and private property.

The authorities of the university announced last week that students should return to campus last Friday and start classes today.

Checks by THE PUBLISHER indicate that the students had complied with the re-opening order as many of them have already reported.

An announcement credited to Kwame Yeboah Junior, KNUST University Relations Officer (URO), assured that all was set for lectures to begin once again.

According to him, academic work would be sustained till December 19, this year, when the university will break for the Christmas holidays.

The URO disclosed that students would return from the Christmas break on January 4, 2019, to write their semester examination for two weeks. He noted that, after the examination, the university would break again for another two weeks, after which students would return to campus to begin the second semester.

KNUST has been in the news for bad reasons in recent times, after rampaging students destroyed cars and other valuable properties. Even though no lecturer was hurt during the protests, Vice President of the KNUST branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Prof. Charles Marfo, said about 40 cars and 15 motorcycles, many of which belonged to lecturers, were destroyed.

Apart from the closure of the university, the protests also led to the re-constitution of the Governing Council.  It took the intervention of Parliament, the Ministry of Education, and the Manyha Palace to bring normalcy to the university.

FROM Akwasi Boakye, Kumasi