Saturday 27 October 2018

IS IT A CURSE TO BE A STUDENT OF KNUST?



ARCHIMEDES WRITES


Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has its mission statement which depicts that, the University provide environment for teaching, research and entrepreneurship training in science and technology for the industrial and socio-economic development of Ghana, Africa and other nations. The mission statement of an organization is a short statement that depicts organizational purpose, identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of products or services it provides. Providing an environment for learning when students’ voice is considered as a last priority is awkward and should be condemned at the highest level.

"Biribi ankoka papa a, anka papa annye kyerede" which laterally means, "if something had not touched the papa (dried palm frond), it wouldn't have made a sound”. We are in a dispensation where university authorities do not recognize dialogue (round table discussion) with the student leaders to curb issues which were popping up.

A university where hall executives (UNITY AND UNIVERSITY HALL JCR) will be punished just because they chose legal means to approach the issue of male halls conversion when the school authorities turned deaf ears to the grievances of student leaders in these two halls. The JCR have been denied access to their hall (jurisdiction) and have gone on to appoint first years who have not even spent two months in these halls, leaving the leaders of these halls who have been constitutionally elected fugitives of their own land and exiled.
We are in a school where about 70% of its population leave off campus with highly deficient security. A school where its academic year hostel price costs about Ghc 3000.00, which can pay for regular school fees for about three years, yet off campus life is horrible. Roads leading to our hostels get flooded anytime it rains. I was nearly carried away by the flood around the bridge behind the 'JERICHO WALL' adjacent Nana Adoma Hostel. This issue is visibly evidential to the sight of most students who use or visit that road to their various hostels. 

Find images of the state of off campus hostel when it rains;






                                         Images by Amo-Agyei Gideon (ARCHIMEDES): The Author


A school where a road (on campus) can be reconstructed for about four times a semester in the name of maintenance which may move with huge budgets. A university where securities have power over students excessively. What gives me headache and anger is that, a school which has unrecognized cells, built about 10 years down the lane, the securities arrest students in that cells overnight. 
A school where security administer instant justice to students with or without provocation, yet administration ushers no condemnation to the security men when SRC approaches them. A school where student leaders are asked to celebrate (all six traditional halls weeks’ celebrations squeezed) their hall week within a week. Leaders lamented on this, but they turned deaf ears to them. 
A school where students are afraid to go in for remarking. A school which claims they transport students ‘freely’, but majority of the student body do not benefit just because they are not residing on campus. 

Students have been complaining continuously for shuttles to come off campus to convey them since they have paid for it, but they have turned deaf ears to them. 
A school which has its lastly built hall that had its 50th anniversary celebrated this academic year, yet the leaders have not thought of building a new HALL to solve this accommodation crisis on the land of KNUST. Yet, we have acres of land which is idle. Hmmm, only God knows what is preventing them.  

  A school (university) that can issue a letter claiming to suspend any student who will be found in a lady’s room after 10pm and a member of hall ‘A’ cannot enter hall ‘B’ at the said time, owing denial to an Access Control. The dangerous part of it is that, a hall like UNITY HALL, having one entrance, allowing about 2000 students to pass through. If accident like fire outbreaks pop up, what becomes the fate of students?

All these issues have escalated the anger of students to the extent that they could not bear it anymore. All avenues failed. All avenues of dialogue and such like failed and the issues were accumulated. The student leaders met with the administration, but as I said the authorities turned deaf ears to our leaders. Some of them chose legal means, but the leaders (UNITY AND UNIVERSITY HALL JCR) were punished. So, what they needed was obviously demonstration; the last and only available resort.
The SRC did that by releasing a message telling students to boycott lectures since a student, an innocent student for that matter, was beaten by the security and nothing was done to remedy the situation. What got me angry like a roaring lion was that, the boy was caught unarmed, and beaten in a criminalized manner. So, do you have to administer beating to an unarmed student to the point where he is weak before you can send him to ‘the unrecognized cells’, which I am against totally? The SRC sent the release on Sunday on the 'Peaceful Demonstration’, as it was purported to be. The entire student populace was to boycott class, since the authorities do not recognize dialogue and legal way of solving issues.

That very same day, the university gave a response by a message from the vice chancellor through the Dean of Students (DOS) reading, "The attention of the VC has been drawn to a boycott of lectures by students on Monday 22nd, October 2018. You are reminded that, attendance at lectures is compulsory and the decision to attend lectures or not remains an individual affair. Lecturers will be at lectures as usual and you are entreated to disregard any contrary information."  This message manifested to me that, the authorities do not respect the views of students. As it was rightly said by William Lyon Mackenzie King, "where there is little or no public opinion, there is likely to be bad government which sooner or later becomes autocratic government".

I call this autocratic leadership in the sense that, the authorities were not willing to hear the cry of students, students will use legal means and then you punish them. It does not end there, student leaders will call 'Peaceful Demonstration' and you will send a message debunking the decision by the student leaders. You give the SRC no chance to get their issues resolved. Most students went to class that day because they were afraid and was a complete threat from the side of the administration. The message means to the best of my knowledge that, students who will not attend lectures may be sanctioned or dismissed. I was totally aggrieved and bereaved when I saw the message. No letter, message or whatsoever came from the administration condemning the act of the security men, but when the University Relation Officer said after the incident was that, students who were arrested on the 11th of October 2018 should be sanctioned. The administration did not check up on the state of the student who was hospitalized from the unprofessionally immature act of their pampered 'Adarkwa Police'

See Image of KNUST Security beating Student;



                                         Image by Successafrica.info

During the peaceful demonstration, as it was purported to be by the SRC, the Police met students, fired gun shots in the air and that escalated the alleged vandalism since the students saw it as a form of intimidation. People were condemning the act of students to the point that they claimed students who did the act should be punished. With the best of my knowledge, if this demonstration had not been carried out, our voices would not have been heard. Students were tired of this whole autocratic leadership and I am saying it emphatically that, until Prof. Obiri Danso goes, students will not be happy and not rest as well. 


I am sorry to say that, I am disappointed in the University Teachers Association of Ghana, KNUST branch with their stand on what has happened from day one. My question here is simple, where were the UTAG when their own students were beaten like armed robbers who have stolen from a super market and mob attacked? Here come the UTAG-KNUST executives releasing a letter lamenting on the fact that, they are not happy about the dissolution of the old university council. They said on Monday that, they saw demonstration by students that led to destruction of properties and none of the students has been sanctioned over the actions, but not a letter or a message or whatsoever to condemn the act of the unprofessional securities. I call this hypocrisy on the side of the UTAG-KNUST branch.


I will conclude by thanking the SRC President, Mr. Kelvin Sah, his executives and the SRC Parliamentary Council for taking this bold decision. Mr. Kelvin Sah, have this in your mind that, students would not forgive you if you betray them. Don’t lose your integrity since students have you at heart and ready to support you for this bold decision taken. I saw a press release or whatsoever by the SRC pleading the government to bring back the dissolved council without any consultation with the students, when it came, we the students thought it was one of the false messages that has been circulating around until the SRC made it clear to students how true the above message that was sent. As I have indicated earlier where were UTAG and TEWU when students were being brutalized by those ‘Adarkwah Police’. Until the following issues are done the students will not rest and the SRC should bare this in mind;
  • The Vice Chancellor should not be the Vice Chancellor of this noble institution no more since we need to cut through the red tape and bring leadership who are willing to hear students’ grievances and take them as their utmost priority.
  • The SRC should lobby in for the Interim council to return Unity Hall, University Hall and Africa Hall to their normal state for sanity to be restored, since it is for this reason this brutality-demonstration triggered.
  • The SRC should also lobby for the building of a hall (s), expedited. I say emphatically, a hall not a hostel, for the betterment of the students since the existing halls cannot accommodate first year students not to talk of continuing students for that matter, causing about more than 70% of students to leave off campus (with less security).
  • Students should get a public forum to pour out their grievances despite the fact that we have SRC but it seems they want to fail us.
  • Last but not the least, prices of hostels are outrageous and should be reduced to allow those who are less privileged like myself to have access to hostels with less costs and better services from the hostels’ management as well.

Richard Amoh, senior, I greet you. I appreciate your thriving struggling hustle to impact lives with advocacy. I credit your support of my writing pieces.


                                          Amo-Agyei Gideon (ARCHIMEDES): The Author

Gideon Amo-Agyei is my name. A Second year student of KNUST, reading BSc. Agribusiness Management and a proud farmer. I believe that, strong activism is the only tool that can change our sick status quo! Call me through this contact 0550845554 for any clarification and corrections if deemed necessary.

Sunday 7 October 2018

SHOULD WE STAND TO WRITE OR 'LIE' TO WRITE







ARCHIMEDES WRITES

I have been silent  for a while on happenings on KNUST campus, not for the fact that, I have stopped speaking on matters affecting the student body. As it was said by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "All I insist on, and nothing else, is that you should show the whole world that you are not afraid. Be silent, if you choose; but when it is necessary speak and speak in such a way that people will remember it."
Let me go straight to the point, since "time no dey" (Time is not on our side). Just last two weeks, 9th September, 2018, when we had our SCC service at the Royal Parade grounds, the Dean of students (Dr. William Gariba) articulated emphatically that; let us also remind ourselves that, we have SRC duly elected by you (students), but some of us think we are wiser than the SRC and that, they (the supposed wisest) are the only people who can advocate for students......"  In the SRC constitution as amended in 2011, it is stipulated in Article (6) clause (a) emphatically that, the SRC is the mouthpiece of the entire student body of this university which buttresses what the Dean of Students lamented clearly.
There is also an adage which gives utterances to the fact that, " Y3soma Onyansofoo, 3ny3 anamontenten". Which literary means, we send a wise person, not one with long legs. The Students of this noble institution voted for an SRC which is to be the legitimate advocate for the student body (us). But, it is sad that the SRC themselves are even quiet on some petty issues affecting the student body. Their "interest" is to organize entertainment programs moving with huge budgets to, maybe, get something (money) for their own interests. Let us leave it to nature and its twin brother, posterity, to judge.
I would like to utilize this opportunity to greet the Vice Chancellor of KNUST for his passion to 'develop' KNUST since he was elected to occupy this office, notwithstanding the fact that, most of the developmental projects he embarks on are based/situated on-campus, neglecting about 70% of the population of KNUST off-campus. Just last week, I was nearly carried away by flood around the bridge behind the 'JERICHO WALL', adjacent Nana Adoma Hostel. This is just by the way. Though, it was visibly evidential to the sight of most students who use or visit that road...

This issue has been in existence since I came to the land of intellectuals, KNUST. Casely Hayford Building, popularly known as "EHC", has experienced shortage of chairs and tables which bother students, including myself, who attend lectures in there.
See Image below;


Upon my research, I contacted Mr. Oduro Baah, the head of cleaners, who is in charge of  making sure the place is tidied up for lectures. He made it clear to me that, there are eight (8) lecture rooms in the building which facilitate the provision of about 230 chairs and tables in each room for examination purpose. Even with that, there is shortage of chairs when examination is in progress. My point here is that, how many times do we write examination in this school? Most at times, three weeks. Meaning, majority of our stay on campus, we spend it in the lecture room. Bringing 230 chairs in a room which sometimes occupy about 700 students for a lecture is awkward and should not be the order of the day. I personally decided to count the chairs and tables in most of the rooms to verify the veracity of the man's testimony. If it is true, what is the new development? This was what I ascertained upon counting;
Lecture Room                            Number of Chairs                    Number of Tables 
  • EH 202   DB1                               149                                               173
  • EH 201                                          96                                                 184
  • EH 202   DB2                                45                                                 40
  • EH 101                                          169                                               211
Looking at this piece of work, I took four (4) of these rooms out of eight lecture rooms to make this exercise. You could realize that, majority of the classes do/did not even match up to the supposed 230 tables and chairs. What normally happens is that, since the chairs and tables are not enough, classes which have population of  about 700 will obviously carry the chairs from class A to class B where they are having their lecture. After their supposed lecture, the students will not return the chairs, since it has been the 'norm' of the youth we have found ourselves among, including myself. What I also realized was that, the chairs and the tables cover about 50% of the classrooms' sizes and most of the chairs in most of rooms do not tally with the tables; the furniture do not cover all the size of the classrooms. My question here is that, what happens to the remaining 50% of the room size? I do believe firmly that, the portion of the room sizes left unoccupied are neither reserved for PAA JOE extension nor for accommodation of some of our newly admitted KNUST-OBIRI DANSO pampered ladies.  Can't He (Vice Chancellor) provide us with tables and chairs so that the class  will be full to prevent or minimize the intake of chairs from class A to Class B? This issue is not happening in Casely Hayford Building only, rather most of the other lecture rooms.


I hereby call on the SRC to act on this matter as a matter of urgency to find a quicker solution to curb this situation, since it bothers most of the students. I believe that, when those who are empowered to speak on matters affecting us are not speaking, we will not be dumb and wait for them, but rather we will speak and speak until something is done!!!

Richard Amoh, senior, I greet you. I appreciate your thriving struggling hustle to impact lives with advocacy. I credit your support of my writing pieces.

GIdeon Amo-Agyei is my name. A Second year student reading BSc. Agribusiness Management and a proud farmer. I believe that, strong activism is the only tool that can change our sick status quo!

Thursday 14 June 2018

BAD STATE OF THE HEALTH SECTOR; THE HEART CRY OF GHANAIANS





" Nothing is more harmful to the service than the neglect of discipline; for it is discipline more than numbers that gives one army superiority over another"

-George Washington -

The 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana, Article -190(1), provides for the establishment of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) to improve efficiently in the health care delivery in Ghana. The Ghana Health Service has a motto which reads; "your heath: our concern". Wowww! Do we see or experience this? Is a question that every Ghanaian should be asking.

   There have been numerous cases on medical negligence, indisciplined nurses et al within this country which no attention has been drawn to and if so, then what effect has it had on our medical services. There is an instance where a former Director of the Regional Hospital at the Eastern Region, Koforidua, introduced himself and pleaded with a nurse to try and find a bed for his mother at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. The nurse retorted, "so do you want me to go to my house and bring my bed for your mother because you are the Medical Director of the Koforidua Regional Hospital?".

   An African proverb says that, " if a crocodile eats its own eggs, what will it not do to frogs and fishes”? Therefore, what happens to the ordinary patient like you and I is left for you to imagine. Why has this been the trend for a decade now? Can't the status quo change? The Ghana Medical and Dental Council and Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana have the mandate to investigate misconduct of medical doctors, nurses and midwives. My question here again is, are they up to task? Well, time will tell.
More and more nurses are being named defendants in malpractice lawsuits, according to the National Practitioner Data Bank(NPDB).

    When Member of Parliament and lawyer,  Joseph Dindrock Kpemka's wife suffered from a stroke in September 2016, he was confident that medics could save her. Little did he know that the shortage of something as basic as a hospital bed would end up taking her life. His wife was rejected by Nyaho Medical center, a private clinic, from there to Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, 37 Military Hospital, Trust Hospital at Osu, Greater Accra Regional Hospital better known as Ridge Hospital where his wife finally kicked the bucket. If a Member of Parliament faced this tragedy, then what is the fate of the ordinary Ghanaians. Sometimes it pains as a citizen that, a tax payer will face this unbearable situation when he needs the country at most. Then what is the essence of paying tax?

  Recently, a tax payer named Mr. Anthony Opoku-Acheampong, was rejected by seven (7) hospitals within the capital city of this very country on the basis of unavailability of hospital beds. He finally kicked the bucket at LEKMA Hospital at Teshie. The family of the deceased had rushed him to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after he complained of having difficulties breathing. The nurse at the facility directed the family to the Korle Bu Polyclinic where they were to get referral letter before they could be attended to. But the old man died just 30 minutes after arriving at the polyclinic, where nurses and doctors tossed him around and left him unattended to until he kicked the bucket. Upon research, about 80% of Deaths in Ghana Hospitals are due to Medical Negligence. Hmmmmm... Poor Ghana! The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service has summoned the medical superintendent in charge of the LEKMA Hospital, Dr. Juliana Ameh. Who is in charge of insuring that there are beds in the hospitals? Will the summoning bring back the lost citizen? Who has failed the good people of this country? Dr.  Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Director-General of Ghana Health Service, assured that they will get to the depth of this issue and make sure this doesn't happen again in this country. Well, let us wait for the best time because Ghanaians have tested several series of decorated promises. Is high time politicians started walking their numerous talks. Accra has about 3400 hospital beds, for its 15000 residents, in the seven major hospitals. Korle Bu has 2000, Greater Accra Regional Hospital has 420 and Trust Hospital has 86. What are our leaders doing about this inadequacy? As I will always say, time will tell.

     There are about 55 working ambulances serving the population of about 30 million Ghanaians. Notwithstanding that, we have politicians who use cars, the cost of which/each could buy 5 ambulances. The money that are used for renovation of politicians’ lodge can be used to buy land and also build a mansion. Yet, they can not provide our basic needs. As far as my mind's eye can see, the number of hearses(a funeral vehicle used to carry coffin from a church or funeral home to a cemetery in Ghana outnumbers the ambulances that convey emerging cases like pregnant women in labour to hospitals. Likewise, about 51% of the maternity hospitals in Ghana do not have a general ambulance which can transport women in case of obstetric emergency. Unfortunately, it appears Ghanaians value the dead more than the living. If this country can move forward,it mainly depends on its labour; population. So, if its population is not treated well when it needs the country most, then what is the fate of this country. Sometimes I panic on the fate of this nation if there is any Natural Disaster like earthquake, disease outbreak and what have you. Are our hospitals ready to serve its people. How many ambulances do we have if there is an emergency? I always pray for Ghana that such things do not happen.  I fear for this nation😭😭🤢🤢.

 GOD HELP OUR HOMELAND GHANA AND MAKES US GREAT AND STRONG


Amo-Agyei Gideon is a first year student studying Bsc. Agribusiness Management who believes that activism is the only tool that can change the status quo
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IS IT A CURSE TO BE A STUDENT OF KNUST?

ARCHIMEDES WRITES Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology has its mission statement which depicts that, the Universit...