The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has rejected suggestions by the authorities of the University of Ghana that it was prepared to engage students in a dialogue to iron out differences in the academic facility user fees.
The student body Wednesday coordinated a mass demonstration in Accra to press home their demand for a �radical� reduction of the fees, saying the approved fees for next academic year was �exorbitant�.
During the demonstration christened Yentua, (we will not pay), the students accused the Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana Prof. Ernest Aryeetey of being adamant, explaining that they are at a crossroads after making fruitless efforts to get the VC to listen to their pleas.
But the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mrs Stella Amoah told host of Joy FM�s Super Morning Show, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Thursday, that all was not lost for the students, remarking that the dialogue options were still opened.
She said management of the school has written to the Students Representative Council to indicate that �the doors for dialogue are still opened and the students are very much aware of it; so the demonstration was really uncalled for and rather unfortunate�.
She urged the students to take advantage of the proposed dialogue, assuring them that when management reviewed the fees �they would be credited with whatever is due them�.
She said registration had started and asked the students to register for the next academic year.
Mrs Amoah announced that the management of the university has come out with a �generous concession� where the students would be allowed to pay 50% of all due fees, and settle the balance in the beginning of the next semester.
She was certain the concession was not a bait to get the students to pay the full fees. However, the President of the National Union of Ghana Students, Hamza Suhini, said though NUGS was yet to receive any communication about the opportunity to dialogue, the Vice Chancellor cannot be trusted to live up to his words. He suspected that the gesture by the school was calculated at committing the students to pay the new fees.
He said in various meetings leaders of the union had with the VC, it was clear that he had taken an entrenched position, showing no intention of reducing the fees.
He was, therefore, emphatic that the students had �no faith� in negotiating with the VC. �How would the Public Relations Officer of the University be able to reconcile the statement by the Vice Chancellor that indeed if he knew that the last meeting we held had to do with increment in school fees, he wouldn�t have given us that attention, and the recent position of the institute?�
He said they would not back down on their demand until they hear official communication from management of the University of Ghana that the fees have been reduced.
�We know so well the personality we are dealing with; [the dialogue offer] is just a public gimmick, it is just an attempt to shift attention.
��Clearly this is just to save the image of the institution, and most importantly, I think that just to save their image as leaders of that particular institution, and we would not be allowed to be used in that particular manner.�
Source: myjoyonlin.come
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