Students of the University of Ghana will on Friday demonstrate against government’s decision to share the cost utility bills with students.
[contextly_sidebar id=”m6hSQmd8R8V0ZSskcY87v88FG9Y17AF5″]All the Junior Common Room, (JCR) Presidents in the school have agreed to lead students in a mammoth demonstration to register their displeasure over the issue.
Government is currently considering a policy which will see students in traditional halls pay their utility bills due to the ballooning debts incurred by the latter as a result of its inability to pay the bills.
But the move has received wide condemnation from many student groups.
Announcing their intentions to Citi News, the General Secretary of the JCR of Commonwealth, Hall Evans Maclord said the students are determined to compel government to withdraw the proposed plan.
‘We the leadership of the JCR’s of the University of Ghana will be demonstrating on Friday by 9am on government’s decision to remove utility subsidies from tertiary institutions across the length and breadth of Ghana. Overtime we have realised that government has taken a decision to remove subsidies gradually from tertiary institutions,’ he stated.
He added that the policy if implemented will transfer an unbearable cost to parents and further disclosed ‘all the JCR’s have agreed to march in their thousands’.
A Deputy Minister of Education in-charge of tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah interview with Citi News rejected claims that government will force the students of tertiary institutions pay their own utility bills.
The Deputy Minister called for calm at the various tertiary institutions saying government is yet to take a decision on the matter based on the UPSA declaration.
The UPSA declaration provided a roadmap for cost sharing between the government and tertiary institutions for the payment of utility bills.
The declaration also sought to make students in tertiary institutions pay utility fees.
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By: Franklin Badu Jnr/citifmonline.com