“Revolutions are brought up by men who think as men of action and act as men of thought.” The mantle of leadership is very essential in survival and development of any society – more importantly the society of students.
The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) was founded on the ideals of excellence, innovation, inspiration and above all belief that we can and must do better than the past generation. All students both rich and poor, young and old, tall and short, abled and disabled have a chance at choosing who leads them and how they lead them. And upon this premise did we start our tenure of office – with the desire to do better than what we came to meet and truly serving the student body.
Several projects and programs were undertaken throughout the last eight months of transformational and inspiring leadership:
SRC STUDENTS LIFE POLICY
Under my leadership as SRC President, we managed to set up a fund to cater for students who have lost their guardians. About 10 to 30 students are placed in such unbearable conditions during each academic year. 90% of them either quit school or struggle to pay their fees and accommodation. Hence, we took it upon ourselves to create a fund to cater financially for these students fully during all their period of study on campus.
Already 15 students have fallen victim of such unfortunate incident after the introduction of this policy on February 1, 2014. We set up this concept to make the days of ‘I couldn’t continue my university educations because my parents passed away’ a thing of the past. The SRC believes as long as students continue to pay dues to the sustainability of the organisation, so should the SRC come to aid in these hard times when one loses the life of a guardian. An amount of GH2000 is paid to affected students to cater for both accommodation and school fees. This policy was executed with Vanguard Life Insurance Company as our partners. This we believe is serving the true purpose of being a brother’s keeper.
REGISTRATION PROCESS ENHANCEMENT
Hitherto our term of office, semester registration for students at the beginning of each semester was very cumbersome and exhausting. Students had to pay their fees at the bank before going to the accounts office to clear themselves, before they are allowed to register. Being passionate about the plight our students go through to have a simple registration, during the long vacation we pushed and executed a concept with the university ICT to clear students immediately they pay at the bank. So they come straight to register right after payment. This concept truly reduced the stress associated with registration.
Additionally as part of our commitment, a concept from the office of the VICE CHANCELLOR was equally executed to enable freshmen have access to their room numbers to their hall of residence before even getting to campus. This was not so in years past. This equally reduced the immense pressure on freshmen registration.
SRC OFFICES AND STUDENTS CENTER
The issue of getting a proper place as an office for the SRC had been a problem long overdue. So we took it upon ourselves to secure a venue for this cause. Through lobbying and persistent request with the assist of the Dean of Students the SRC has now secured a building to be used as the SRC office and at the same time serve as student’s center. A sod-cutting ceremony was organized on MAY 16, 2014 for the commencement of the rehabilitation of the building. This comes at no cost to the SRC since the project is being funded by a private company.
SECURITY
Robbery cases especially off campus was becoming a menace that the student body was constantly agitating about. Students were been raped, some stripped of their personal belongings and valuables. As a result we together with the administration of the school contacted the regional police command and they deployed officers to specific areas outside campus. The SRC lobbied the administration who provided booths in which these officers will use to function properly. As a result, security has been increased at these places making the life of students better.
As part of our commitment to improving security off campus, we lobbied the university to put up a police post at AFRIFA JUNCTION, KOTEI as well as a barrier around CRYSTAL ROSE HOSTEL area. Plans to equally have a police man to reside in every accredited hostel is still on going with some hostels who have already started implementing the idea.
HEALTH CARE POLICY
Being inspired and believing in the concept that health care should not be limited to the rich few, the SRC initiated and executed with the assistance of the health directorate to allow students have access to free consultation and to an extent free access to some drugs prescriptions with students ID cards in situations where one does not have NHIS.
This was necessitated because for one to benefit from the comprehensive health care policy of the university that seeks to pay for all medical treatments that is NOT under NHIS scheme every student must necessarily have an NHIS card. That notwithstanding the SRC still believed that students are supposed to benefit from being contributors to the university comprehensive health care policy and therefore must be possible for one to have access to health care with students ID card which has been accepted.
TRANSPORT
Currently, the SRC has advanced the transport to the areas of business school and believes this would equally be sustained especially with the movement of the Art society to the new block closer to the school of business.
SUPPORT OF RELIGIOUS PROGRAMS
The SRC contributed heavily towards the on-going building of the SCC’s worship complex. We also contributed toward the organization of “INTELLECTO” which was hosted by KNUST and most importantly the vision of building a bore hole for a village by name Penteng- Nwaase. We also provided unrelenting financial and social support to the Islamic community in all their programs.
ACADEMICS
The SRC pushed for an amnesty which was granted to over 500 students who were dismissed due to the introduction of the new re-sit policy. This created the opportunity for the dismissed ones to have their student statues reinstated.
SRC/UITS CENTER
The SRC was still committed to the completion of the ICT center being constructed and left some few items like table and chairs to commence its full operations.
STATE OF THE SRC CONSTITUTION
Advancing the course of technology with the purpose of cutting down cost on students, the SRC with the assistance of committed students have developed an android application of our constitution which is available on the src website.
Issues on the promulgation of the SRC constitution is still in the process with the controversial issue of the 60 CWA as a requirement still being battled. The position of the SRC is that the 60 CWA is not going to in anyway achieve the purpose for which is intended to but rather the university should find a way of making SRC office holders’ national service period free of academic requirement
SRC/NUGS YENDI PROJECT
The SRC together with the NUGS organized an outreach program to the township of Yendi where students were given opportunity to teach and do other activities that will help the underprivileged. It also served as an eye-opener project for students to realize how privileged they are and as a result should appreciate and make good use of the resources available to them. Certificates were given to the 250 students whose commitment to the success of the one month stay and impact on the lives of the both young and old people of the 40 villages can never be forgotten.
OTUMFOUR OSEI TUTU II HOSTEL COMPLETION (SRC HOSTEL)
We as an SRC have always understood that when times change so must we. That new challenges require new responses. Believing in this concept we the SRC for the first time paid for our own accommodation fees that inspired our argument to secure a loan to complete the final face of the SRC hostel that was sod cut by the Chancellor on MAY 7, 2014 to commence the construction of final phase of the hostel. This additional facility is going to serve as a cash flow for the SRC to help develop any other project and most importantly provide additional 700 bed space to students.
Additionally DSTV accessibilities have been made available to the all rooms of the SRC hostel and back up supply pump is being procured to resolve the unusual water supply problem.
We had a very stress free room allocation system which had been a problem to the SRC. We equally increased the hostel financial base through a more accountable system and have left a substantial amount of money together with the development fund to sustain the loan taken to complete the final phase completion of the hostel.
An additional water pump is being procured to end the unexpected water supply challenges.
BIOMETRIC ELECTIONS
For the first time in the history of the university we organized an election that used biometric and electronic voting system. It afforded students the chance to vote at any polling stations without been tied to vote at a particular polling station. It made counting of the votes very easier too. There were hitches here and there but the overall performance of the system was a good one hence we recommend that the system be allowed to continue and running. This is a very reliable system since it avoids results manipulation from source. This on record recorded the highest voter turn in KNUST.
FINANCES
The SRC runs on the contributions of students and therefore are necessary supposed to account to them through the necessary channels and medium. Since the SRC over years had a challenge with account keeping it necessitated the intervention of the Dean Of Student to make sure student leadership provide all needed accountability before leaving office. We are glad to mention that this has been done and necessary documentation handed over to the office of the DEAN. We would humbly state that the SRC has cleared all debt owed to other companies since 2009 till date which was a massive blow to the financial situations of the SRC under my leadership.
FEE FIXING
The SRC had a very successful fee fixing negotiation by making sure all chargers were maintained for the 2013- 2014 fees. This equally ceased the usual increase in accommodation fees paid to the six traditional halls as well as all SRC DUES as well as its Hostel fees. We saw the birth of the paperless communication as well as the SRC endowment fund which came to execute the Vodafone SIM card packages of 300units talk time, 250 data bundle and 20 text per month as well as bulk sms to reach students and the SRC life policy respectively.
FLATE RATE POLICY
The SRC under my leadership still respected and advanced the sustainability of the Flat rate policy which controls the habitual increase of student dues. We faced a major challenge with the halls especially Africa hall which is still undergoing redress.
HOSTEL PRICING ISSUES
Under the watch of the office of the Dean of students, there was a hostel inspection team comprising the SRC, Ghana police, fire service and Ghana tourist board authority that was targeted to mitigating the unjustifiable hostel fees being charged by both internal and external hostel. This we believe can also be controlled by setting a housing department unit that works with hostels exclusively to allocate legally recognized rooms to students to the various accommodations off campus and equally negotiates hostel fees.
OTHER PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
The SRC organized a very impressive and impactful entrepreneurship and leadership seminar that awarded the first 100 students free certificates. The auditorium was filled before time and the speakers acknowledged the remarkable time cautiousness and massive attendance by students to the seminar.
The first ever VC cup was also organized which had the purpose of getting the full attention and cooperation of the university to our gallant and dedicated sports fraternity. I would advise that this VC’s cup is played yearly to honor the memories the late FATAO who was a final year first class land economy student in KNUST who passed away during the GUSA games this year.
The SRC organized the health walk program with cowbell which was to create the awareness and essence of staying healthy.
The SRC equally organized FUNCITY NIGHT from the entertainment wing. This has become a traditional program which I believe should be strongly reviewed.
The SRC partnered the Center for Business Development to have a massive clean-up exercise around campus with the banking agencies.
The SRC equally student ideas such as the first ever COLLEGEBRWAL, FACE OF KNJUST as well as other student mini projects and programs targeted to encouraging student entrepreneurship.
The SRC trade and technology Fair was a very thoughtful program and project which has given birth to a lot of student ideas such as solar paneled traffic lights, new ways of producing food such as bread, wonderful art pieces, new social concepts as embracing change, medical issues, advanced building technology and several other inspiring ideas. I would advise this projects and programs are well executed with the CBD.
The SRC sponsored the KNUST debate society fully in the quest at the national level and partly at the international level which brought a lot of honor to the university. I would humbly like to humbly state this honor should be sustained and encouraged by still engaging the team in other competitive events as well as organizing championship in Ghana known as THE OTUMFOUR INVITATIONAL DEBATE. This I believe would equally create chance to honor the memories of the late council chairman and formal SRC president PAUL VICTOR OBENG.
The SRC being committed to new ideas and concepts strongly advanced the promotion of the PLASTIC TO FUEL PROJECT. This project seeks to transform plastic waste into fuel which we believe has a futuristic impression on our economy as a country.
The driving school policy that was initiated under my leadership as a college president was carried on to the SRC level as well as the poolside policy. Both policies have achieved its purpose with not less than 50 students having access to drivers’ license the first time, continually the number has increased appreciably by virtue of the new strategy devised on the program. The poolside policy as well has moved to an incredible number after the its first stage.
In conclusion, all in all the LORD HAS BEEN SO GOOD TO US. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has made all of this work possible. The SRC cannot also conclude without appreciating the immense contribution of the VICE CHANCELLOR AND office of the DEAN of STUDENTS for their passionate contribution to students. I would also like to apologize to anyone on whose toes I have stepped unto in the discharge of my duties as SRC president. And again a big thank you to both critics and supporters together I have become a better person because of YOU.
Finally to my family and especially my LATE MOM (ESTHER ABLA FUGAH) who passed away during the campaign season. Sweet MOM your legacy still lives on. All that we have achieved gives me hope for what we can and must achieve. It was an honor serving you.
WE STILL DEY FOR U.
Thank you.
