Fellow students of KNUST,
RE: FOLLOW-UP ON VICE CHANCELLOR’S MEETING WITH THE SRC
With regards to the communiqué issued on the 22nd day of October, 2013 by the Office of the Dean of Students stating that, “the following directives were issued to help sanitize student administration and the use of public funds:
1. Student Leadership at all levels, i.e Halls, Colleges, Faculty and Departments, on whose behalf the University used its system to collect money can only access the monies collected if they give a budget collected for the year.
The budget should either have been presented for approval or must be done within the next two weeks. Any student group who fail to comply with the directive should have their own account frozen, until such a time that the budget is submitted.
2. Contingency money must be put aside not exceeding 10% of the total budget outlay for emergencies.
3. Every student organization must have their account countersigned by the College Accountant.
4. For all monies collected this year, 25% of the total amount generated as revenue must be ring-fenced for the next administration.
5. Students who put themselves up to contest for elections at all levels must have obtained a CWA of 60 and above.
6. Henceforth, elections at all levels will be conducted by electronic biometric voting. The University has procured enough Biometric Verification Devices for the exercise. Items 5&6 are enshrined in the SRC Constitution, 2013 approved by the Residence Committee.
7. Under an arrangement with a telecommunication company, students now have sufficient units to call, browse, text and download. Patrons of various students associations should therefore ensure that allocation for communication is considerably minimal…”
The Parliamentary Council of KNUST SRC responses to it as stated below:
1. We appreciate the fact that the Dean mentioned, that those concerns were directives but not an outcome of what all members present at that meeting discussed and came to a consensus or agreed on.
2. In conformity with article one (1) stated above, we challenge the Office of the Dean of Students and any other involved party to let us know when the KNUST SRC Constitution, which was accepted and promulgated under the watch of the entire University in 2007, was suspended and disregarded in use for issues concerning the welfare of students.
We base on this also, to “resurrect” the independence of the SRC as a distinct entity capable of managing its own affairs without going contrary to the laws of the University and the laws of Ghana.
3. We invoke the SUPREMACY OF THE CONSTITUTION-(2007 as amended) which states “This constitution shall be the supreme law for the governance of all students, clubs, associations, societies, unions, in KNUST and any other constitution and or law found to be inconsistent with any provision in this constitution shall to the extent of the inconsistency be null and void.”
4. We vehemently believe the approach was wrong, and it is an imposition and an infraction on the rights and welfare of students. There are so many inconsistencies and treacherous clauses which sound alarming and must therefore be considered null and void. “We are serving precedence for posterity”.
5. We base on the fourth (4) article to entreat all students or whoever to rescind from the act of even debating some of the extracts of the communiqué as to whether it should be accepted or not, or whether considerations should be made on it or not.
6. Per the Constitution of the KNUST SRC and our strong belief as an entire SRC, these decisions and clauses should have emanated from among the students whose contribution in all aspect keeps the SRC running.
7. We therefore without any ambiguity renounce the potency of the communiqué issued by the Office of the Dean of Students, and alert the entire students to be on amber, and that until any other constitution has been promulgated and accepted by the entire SRC and the University, the Constitution of KNUST SRC (2007 as amended) still sways. “Democracy in students’ governance!!!”
Sincerely,
KNUST SRC Parliamentary Council
