University of Ghana hauled to court

The authorities of the University of Ghana, Legon are feverishly moving heaven and earth to stave off lurking danger over their much-publicised congregation slated for this Saturday.

As at Wednesday evening, the authorities of Legon were in a marathon meeting with the solicitors of aggrieved students to strike a compromise that would ensure that they re-listed all the past students whose names were mysteriously missing from the final list of the graduands to be awarded with degrees during the forthcoming congregation.

Prof Ivan Addae-Mensah, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana would not delve into the issue, saying it would be prejudicial, since the students had already filed a writ in court, but he assured the Chronicle that the problem was solvable. He also confirmed that the authorities had been served with the writ, which was being handled by their lawyers.

“I can tell you that by the close of the day, the issue would have been resolved to avert any legal battle since a writ had already been filed in court seeking an injunction to restrain us from holding the congregation,” he said. Some past students of the university have filed a writ at an Accra High Court, seeking an injunction to be placed on the event.

According to the complaining students, their action stemmed from the fact that even though they undertook a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) or Masters in Public Administration and were supposed to be among the graduands, their names had been deleted from the final list of those to be awarded degrees this Saturday.

The writ, which was filed on Monday, March 11, by their solicitor, Mr Kweku Y. Paintsil, Esq., of Paintsil, Paintsil and Co., is praying the court to restrain the authorities of the University of Ghana from organizing the congregation. The students are also seeking a declaration by the court that the Academic Board (AB) of the University of Ghana is in breach of its duty under section 39.2 of the Admission Requirements and Regulations for Graduate Studies in that it failed without any justifiable cause to approve their final results and thereby deprived them of the right of being conferred with their post-graduate degrees at the impending congregation of the university.

They further prayed for an order requiring the Academic Board of the University of Ghana to meet to approve their results before March 16, so they can be conferred with their post-graduate degrees at the impending congregation. Again, plaintiffs want an injunction ordering or directing the Universities of Ghana or its Registrar to extend the time within which they shall apply for registration for the impending congregation of the university.

In the statement of claim, the plaintiffs said they formed a part of about 100 others who were properly admitted to the School of Administration of the university to pursue post-graduate degrees. This approved course, they added, they all pursued over the prescribed period. According to them, they fulfilled both the university and the school’s requirements for the award of the post-graduate degrees.

“By and under the university’s regulations, the results of the plaintiffs ought and should have been put before the AB for approval as a necessary condition for the conferment of the plaintiffs degrees as a congregation of the University called for that purpose,” the statement averred. They contended that even though they have satisfied all the conditions necessary for so doing, the AB has failed to approve their results.

According to the students, in spite of all this, the defendant is making very feverish attempts to call a congregation of the university to recognize students who completed courses in 2001, “in consequence of which it has put out the patently

misleading and false impression by way of advertisements in the local media.”

The plaintiffs pointed out that the said advertisements by the defendants indicated that all students who completed courses in 2001 and are able to give out their names to the registrar to indicate their intention of attending the congregation would be so honoured or conferred with their degrees at the congregation.

According to the plaintiffs, even though they are willing, able and desirous of communicating their names to the registrar, it would avail them of nothing and indeed there is no chance of their being conferred with their hard earned degrees, unless and until the AB has met and approved their results in compliance with the university’s own regulations.

“However, the AB has refused, failed or neglected to meet to approve of the results, which conduct is most unreasonably, perverse and capricious,” the aggrieved students stated.

According to the students, sure that they will be conferred with their degrees at the impending congregation they had accordingly gone ahead to make various and diverse arrangements for the event and would therefore, suffer very great embarrassment, shame and incalculable harm, should the authorities go ahead with the impending congregation without them. By Wednesday evening, it was not known whether the university has filed its defence.