64 Polytechnic students granted 30 million cedis bail

A Sekondi district magistrates' court has granted sixty-four students, including six females of the Takoradi Polytechnic, a total bail of 1.9 billion cedis on Monday,June 4, 2007.

Their pleas were not taken and they would re-appear before the court on June 11.

Additionally, each student must report to the Takoradi Central Police Station every Monday and Friday.

Police Chief Inspector Joseph Hedidor told the court, presided over by Tsatsu Azumah that the students demonstrated against their Principal Dr. Samuel Obeng Apori, demanding his resignation and in the process damaged a Police vehicle with registration number GP 1222 on June 1.

On May 31, this year, executives of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic Students (GNUPS) and students of the Takoradi Polytechnic jointly declared an indefinite boycott of all academic work at the Takoradi Polytechnic campus with effect from Thursday May 31.

They also called for the immediate dismissal of the Principal, Dr. Samuel Obeng Apori and accused him of "being incompetent, arrogant and autocratic".

Abass Mustapha Osabutey, the National Welfare Officer of GNUPS said the boycott was in solidarity with students of the Takoradi Polytechnic and would assist them to boycott an impending examinations scheduled for June 1.

Mr. Abass said the publication in the May 23 edition of the Daily Graphic newspaper that students in the school were "a bandit of drunkards, smokers, rapists and sex maniacs, apart from being untrue, had portrayed the incompetence and lack of control over the school as a Principal".

Mr. Abass said presently the principal was abroad and no negotiation had been done about their fees but some management members had allegedly fixed fees ranging between 3.5 million cedis to four million cedis per student.

He accused the Principal of using duress to compel the SRC vice president to resign and had taken-over SRC functions and aiding and abetting in the mismanagement of the students funds.

Mr. Abass accused the Principal and Management of the Takoradi Polytechnic of spending SRC funds by sending a student representative to Nigeria for the just ended WAPOGA games at a cost of 12.480 million cedis from the SRC funds.

Presently, the school has been closed down indefinitely and a joint Police Military patrol guards the school.

Source: GNA