KNUST Students demonstrate on user fees

Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) on Monday marched through the principal streets of Kumasi to mark "Mmoborowa Educational Campaign Day".

The day has been set aside by the students to educate the general public on the plight of the Ghanaian student, following the increase in academic facilities user fees.

The students, who were wearing red arm and head bands, sang as they went along.

Some were bearing placards, which read, "Educate Ezanator in Ghana", "Satan kill J. J. for us", "We can't pay any user fee", "Privatise NDC and not Education", "No 30 per cent, No NDC" and "Another big street demo in Kumasi".

A statement jointly signed by Mr John Kissi, President of the Students Representatives Council (SRC), Isaac O. Okyere, Secretary and Jolin Osei Ansah, Treasurer and distributed to the public, called on the government to scrap the 50 per cent cost left for students to pay.

It also called on the government to reduce the interest rate on loans since they were not for commercial purposes and also to withdraw the five-year fee package announced by the Ministry of Education.

The statement also called for a freeze of any further increase in University fees for the next two years while the necessary structures are put in place to make education accessible to all.

The statement said over 200 students admitted this year at the KNUST could not afford to pay and, therefore, did not report at the university for the 1999/2000 academic year. GRi../

GRi Newsreel 30-11-99 ******************* Privatisation not a "Monster" - Hammah ******************************* Takoradi (Western Region) 30 Nov. '99 The Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport, Mr Mike Hammah has asked workers not to see the Government's privatisation programme as a "Monster", adding that privatisation is rather meant to revitalise depressed organisations to enable them to improve upon their performance and make them profitable.

He was speaking at a send-off party organised at Takoradi by the management of the Ghana Railways Corporation (GRC) for the out-going Managing Director Mr Moses K. Arthur and his two deputies, Mr S. K. Agboletey and Mr Raymond Afekey, on Sunday.

The privatisation of the GRC is on course, he said, adding that it would be completed by the end of next year. He assured workers of GRC that the privatisation of the Corporation would not be used to victimise any member of staff.

The Deputy Minster emphasised the important role the railway plays in the resuscitation of the Country's economy and urged the workers to work harder than before to help turn round the Corporation.

Mr Arthur appealed to the Government to continue to assist the GRC, adding that such assistance should always be made available in good time and in adequate amounts.

In view of the declining hauling capacity of the GRC, there is the need to speed up action on recently conceived projects, as well as exploring other avenues for partnership with the private sector, like container transport pending a carefully worked out arrangement.