Education Committee of Parliament tasked to probe UG’s new residential policy

Mr Joseph Osei-Owusu, First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Wednesday, directed the Education Committee of Parliament to probe the breach of an injunction order on the new residential policy of the University of Ghana (UG).

The First Deputy Speaker’s directive came on the back of a statement made on the floor of Parliament by Dr Clement Abas Apaak, the Deputy Ranking on the Education Committee, expressing dissatisfaction about the new residential policy of UG.

Mr Osei-Owusu said the committee should engage the management of UG to ascertain their reasons for defying the order.

“The orders of the court are in the interim to hold the balance while the matters are being heard, but my wish is that the settlement will be outside the court, that is where we are sure to achieve harmony at the end of it all. I will refer this to the Committee on Education to engage the University and report back to us on why the University has not implemented the directive of the court.” he said.

As a result, Dr Apaak called for the reinstatement of the affected students.

UG revoked the tenancy of continuing students from the Commonwealth and Sarbah Halls as a punitive measure after clashes between some students of the two halls led to the destruction of the bust of John Mensah Sarbah, the historical figure after whom the Sarbah Hall was named.

According to the University, all continuing students of the Commonwealth Hall, an all-male hall and continuing male students of Mensah Sarbah Hall would not return to their halls nor any of the traditional halls.

But the students had expressed their displeasure about the move, insisting that the decision was ill-intended and posed financial challenges to them as the new halls offered them were extremely expensive.

Source: GNA