The Council of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has taken a decision to abolish the Junior Common Room (JCR) system in the management of halls of residence for students with effect from the 2023/24 academic year.
Hall administration and management will be handled by Hall Councils, Hall Masters and Senior Tutors.
“This means there would be no students’ elections for hall executives,” the University said in a statement on Saturday, August 27.
The statement was issued after an emergency meeting on Friday, August 26 to discuss the report of a fact-finding committee set up to look into the recent disturbances involving some students of University Hall, popularly called Katanga, and Unity Hall, popularly called Conti(nentals).
The riots on Thursday, August 18 resulted in several properties, mostly cars, vandalised.
A decision was taken immediately after the violence to withdraw the certificates of all past students involved.
“Any student/students who is/are caught to be harboring dismissed, rusticated, withdrawn student(s) and/alumnus/alumna in his/her room in any of the Halls of Residence on Campus, shall be sanctioned, appropriately,” the statement on Saturday also warned.
Students who indulge in any act which will warrant dismissal will also have their names and pictures widely published in the national dailies and on KNUST’s website but those rusticated for various offences will have their names and pictures published internally for the attention of the University Community.
Those whose offences require further prosecution by the state will be handed over to the police, the Council stated.
It expressed gratitude to the Ashanti Region Minister, the Inspector-General of Police, the Regional Police Commander, and the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, for the professional role they played in helping to restore calm and tranquility on the University campus.
