KNUST dismisses 44 students

Kumasi, Jan 27, GNA - The authorities at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have dismissed 44 students for entering the university with fake certificates. Professor Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, Vice-Chancellor, who disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf at the dedication of the Anglican Hostel in Kumasi on Saturday, said the affected students were all in their first year.

He said the students were summoned before the University Council last Friday and during investigations they failed to prove the authenticity of their certificates. The hostel, built on the KNUST campus by the Kumasi Diocese of the Anglican Church at the cost of GH=A2570,000, can accommodate 400 students.

The Vice-Chancellor said the university was determined to flush out students who entered the university through dubious means and pointed out that the University Council was still investigating similar cases pending before it.

Prof Adarkwa appealed to the private sector to effectively partner the university in providing adequate accommodation for students to enhance academic work.

He was not happy that out of more than 25,000 students who applied for admission at the university in the 2007/2008 academic year, only 6,000 could be accommodated on campus due to lack of facilities. Right-Reverend Daniel Yinkah Sarfo, Anglican Bishop of Kumasi, lauded the Anglican Church for constructing the hostel and appealed to it to continue with the second phase of its hostel project. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene and Chancellor of the University, in a message delivered on his behalf, advised religious organisations to partner with government in executing development projects.