Decision To Dismiss 'Perching' Students Unacceptable - NUGS

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has described the warning by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana; to dismiss any student caught perching as unacceptable. Professor Ernest Aryeetey in a radio interview on Thursday June 16, said the new sanction is applicable to all students. He said if a student chooses to be non-resident but comes through the back door to enjoy facilities paid for by others, it amounts to cheating and that student would be sacked. �We have introduced new sanctions applicable to all: you perch and we catch you, we dismiss you. You lose your studentship. You have a choice of whether you want to be a resident or a non-resident. If you choose to be non-resident and you come through the back door and use a facility which others are paying for, you are cheating them and we have every right to sanction you�. However, the President of NUGS, Hamza Suhini vehemently disagrees with the Vice Chancellor. Speaking to Citi News, he said the situation of perching is not the doing of students hence dismissing them will be too harsh a punishment. He challenged the Vice Chancellor�s pronouncements saying only a disciplinary committee can decide which action of students deserves out right dismissal. �For the Vice Chancellor to go ahead to make such an open declaration is more or less an attempt to sideline some of the recognised institutions of the University. For me it is just one of the usual talks and it can never be taken serious. As far as we are concerned we would follow cautiously the rules and regulations of the University of Ghana and comments by the Vice Chancellor cannot be said to be the basis for the rules and regulations of this University. �We have our rules and regulations and to out rightly sack someone because of that is unacceptable. The conditions we have today are just not the creation of the students and to say that you will sack them is not feasible. Nobody by virtue of his position should attempt to side step the rules and regulations of this University�.