Fighting For The Rights Of Students Not Only The Responsibility Of Student Leaders

In recent times there have seem to be numerous pronouncements and write-ups in the media suggesting that students leaders have become rude and arrogant by their utterances and actions in their bid to react to certain issues concerning the poor students of this country. Recently is the reaction of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) on speculations of increase in the facility user fees in the public universities for the 2004/2005 academic year. Just like the beginning of every academic year students are faced with the same problem of increment of their fees and student leaders will have to battle it out through a series of press conferences, meetings with university authorities who to some extent are undemocratic in the dealings with student leaders.

In a country where it general economic situation is so poor (brand as HIPIC) and it minimum wage a little over ten thousand cedis, where on earth can the university student afford to pay the proposed and speculated fees. The daily graphic editorial of Saturday, June 26,2004 articulated with vigorous clarity the view of some people that students are always up to mischief. The editorial quoted the figures floated for the academic and residential facility user fees by the SRC of legon i.e. Academic facility user fees raised from 480,000 to 640,000 (i.e. 33.3% increment) and the residential facility user fees raised from 320, 000 to 600,000(i.e. 87.5%) to insinuate insincerity on the part of students for suggesting a 100% increment when by their own figures, there was nothing to suggest so. The editorial conveniently separated the academic and residential components of the fees from the other components that have been doubled in most cases, apparently to justify its description of student pronouncements as insincere and indecorous.

As for goodwill, the universities have been beneficiaries of the limitless goodwill from students. There have been several cases of administrative highhandedness on the part of university authorities on our campuses that could have generated unrest in some academic jurisdictions but this same student leaders been accused of been rude and arrogant have resisted the temptation to do so as a gesture of goodwill that has hardly been reciprocated. Rather than hurriedly stamping students with a badge of insincerity and indecorum, the general public ought to show understanding and support for a matter that threatens the very core of all our developmental processes.

To me the problem or argument should not be based on the percentage of increment but affordability looking the amount to be paid and the financial capabilities or the salary levels of our parents and guardians who are receiving poverty alleviation loans from the government, which means that our parents are not financially empowered enough to fend for their families or simply they are poor. Also where lays the constitutional provision of Chapter 5, article 25 clause c of the 1992 constitution which stipulates that: Higher education shall be made equally accessible to all, on the basis of capacity, by every appropriate means and in particular by progressive introduction of free education??. I was totally shocked when I can across this clause in the constitution and asked myself are our parliamentarians aware of this or is it because they are enjoying so many privileges from this same constitution, which enables them to pay the fees of their children they have forgotten about some of their prime role, which is making sure that government and institutional policies are all geared towards achieving our constitutional provision of this country. I am therefore disappointed in our parliament because this clause exist since 1992 and we have been having increment of tertiary institutions fees over the years and there have never been any collectively reaction of parliament against that trends.

Am also baffled about the ruling government who profess to be the government of the people and believes in the rule of law (no doubt about it) but how can this same government accept and engineer policies that will agitate for full cost recovery because I suspect strongly that the annual ritual of increasing fees is in gratification of the worn-out platform of the full cost recovery which has widely been discredited on the basis of the incapability with Ghana??s socio-economic circumstances.

Again taking decisions that affects students without consultation with the is predicated on the erroneous assumption that they are young and irrational. This is presumption, undemocratic and unusual for a country that hinges its future prosperity and survival on a well motivated and educated youth. An educational system that places emphasis on academic excellence much to the neglect of the strong leadership orientation will certainly fall short of the labour requirements of an increasing competitive world.

To conclude I will call on the media and all Ghanaians to add their voice to the crusade to fight for the constitutional rights of the university students. long live student, long live Ghana.

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