Old Vandals honour six

THE Old Vandals Association of the University of Ghana, Legon, has honoured the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, and five others for their immense contribution to the development of the country.

At a jamboree in Accra yesterday to honour Prof Addae-Mensah and others the association called on old students to help instil discipline in students.

The rest are Prof Kwadwo Asenso-Okyere, Vice Chancellor-elect of the university, Prof Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, acting Chief Executive of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Prof Clifford Nii Boi Tagoe, Dean of the Medical School, Dr Percival Kuranchie, a former president of the association, and Mr Alfred Teddy Konu, Registrar of the University.

The national president of the association, Mr Kwesi Essel-Koomson, in an address expressed concern about the recent impasse between the authorities and students of the Commonwealth Hall, and urged the Old Vandals to develop strategies to ensure that students exhibit the fundamental tenets of true vandalism.

These, according him, include unity of action, faithfulness, excellence, honesty, orderliness and being supportive of the weak as well as the abhorrence of indiscipline, indecency and immorality.

He commended the university authorities for the display of magnanimity and fatherly love in settling the impasse and appealed to the Vice Chancellor to lift the ban placed on the position of the Chief Vandal before he leaves office this year.

Mr Essel-Koomson called for the official recognition of the position of the Chief Vandal to give the occupant a human face to reduce the temptation of using the position for unconventional purposes, as well as make the office holder accountable for his actions.

Prof Addae-Mensah applauded the association for the honour done him and his colleagues.

He called for a second look at the position of the Chief Vandal, and suggested the adoption of the former ways when the position was only occupied during the Vandals Week celebration and disbanded immediately after the celebrations. Prof Asenso-Okyere appealed to all former students to help ameliorate the myriad of problems bedevilling the university, to create congenial atmosphere for effective teaching and learning.

He said with the current economic situation it has become extremely difficult for the government and some parents to bear the cost of tertiary education, hence the need for those who have benefited from the university to come to their aid.