Students march for VC’s resignation

The Concerned Students of the University of Ghana, Legon (CSL), yesterday embarked on a peaceful integrity march, to submit a petition, calling for the resignation of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Prof. E. Ofori-Sarpong, in order to restore the integrity and hard won reputation of the university.

“We hope that posterity will judge us for the principle we stand for in our quest to regain the credibility and integrity of our degrees,” the concerned students said.

The group said, through their march, they were calling on the University Council to examine the wider implication and ramifications of the whole scandal, to help them appreciate the reason for the examination malpractices.

The march, which had been scheduled to start at 9:30 in the morning, started at around noon, and lasted for an hour.

It started with hundreds of students marching from the Commonwealth Hall, to the Central Cafeteria of the university. They proceeded from there to the Registry where Frank Afriyie, handed over their petition to the Secretary of the Registrar, to be given to the University Council on behalf of the group.

The marchers, clad in red attire with marching headbands, chanted war songs amidst drumming, saying, “Kyekyere Asenso bo dadie no ma me”(Tie Asenso into the stakes for me).

In their 6-point petition, the CSL stated that, 'the resignation of the two Chancellors will set very high standards for not only high office holders in the university but for all public office holders,' and also portray a serious image of the university.

It further stated that, apart from the scandalous implications of the involvement of the vice chancellor's son in the leakage of the examination papers, it became necessary to make the point clear that, for the reason that the vice chancellor's administration had presided over or witnessed the worst examination scandal implied negligence and incompetence.'

The petition stated also that the Pro-Vice-Chancellor had not given any persuasive 'explanation for his interference in the marking of his daughter's examination scripts,' thus dragging the name of the university in the mud.

“It is not a matter of personal religious devotion, but a certified fact of misconduct on the part of the second in command. He has therefore lost the moral right to remain in office,” the petition stated.

The CSL asked the two officials, being the 'top in command,' to accept responsibility for all that had gone wrong, and resign honourably.

“We do not think the two officials can duly implement the recommendations of the Mfodwo committee, and if they attempt, Ghanaians shall not take the University of Ghana serious,” stated the petition.

The petition further stated that, 'the SRC leadership does not have an understanding of the prevailing issues and had not articulated any precise set of opinions on the matter,' adding that a larger section of students are behind the Concerned Students of Legon.