A graduate of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) over what he describes as unfair administrative treatment and financial injustice involving the payment of thesis extension fees.

Seidu Toufique, a former student of the KNUST Graduate School, is seeking CHRAJ’s intervention to investigate what he claims is the overpayment of extension fees and to direct the university to refund the excess amount charged.

In a petition dated March 2, 2026, addressed to the Commissioner of CHRAJ in Accra, Toufique stated that “after fulfilling all requirements for the submission of his thesis on the university’s thesis deposition portal, he paid the approved extension fee of GH¢600.”

However, he alleged that the university’s IT Department denied him access to submit his thesis, citing “instructions to suspend acceptance of the GH¢600 fee and instead require payment of GH¢ 4,322.90 representing one-third of the total programme fees.”

According to him, some of his colleagues who paid the GH¢ 600 were granted access to the submission portal and allowed to proceed.

With only two weeks to the thesis submission deadline, he said he was compelled to raise an additional GH¢ 3,722.90 to meet the new demand in order to avoid missing the deadline.

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Toufique further referenced an announcement allegedly made on September 25, 2025, by the Director of the Graduate School during a University Management Retreat in Moree.

At the event, the Director reportedly stated that GH¢ 600 should be the appropriate extension fee instead of the one-third fee policy.

Despite this, the petitioner claimed that when affected students sought refunds, the Director described the statement as “ex post facto,” indicating that it could not be applied retroactively.

The petitioner said he has written several letters to the Director of the Graduate School requesting a refund of the excess amount. He also indicated that he travelled to Kumasi on multiple occasions to follow up on the matter.

According to him, the letters remain on the Director’s desk and have not been forwarded to the Accounts Department for processing. He further stated that all internal mechanisms to resolve the issue have been exhausted without success.

Toufique argued in his petition that the differential treatment where some students were permitted to pay GH¢600 while others were required to pay GH¢4,322.90, violates Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, which guarantees equality before the law and prohibits unjustifiable differential treatment.

He is therefore requesting CHRAJ to, Investigate the circumstances surrounding the collection of the extension fees and direct the KNUST Graduate School to refund the alleged excess payment of GHS 3,722.90 to affected students.

The petition has also been copied to the National Union of Ghana Students, the KNUST Graduate School, and the Graduate Students Association of Ghana.

As of the time of filing this report, the management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology had not publicly responded to the allegations.



AM/VPO

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