General News of Monday, 6 September 2010

Source: Herald

Trouble At Legon

…As NPP takes propaganda to Dept of History

By Livingstone Pay Charlie

The out-of-the-blue fiat by authorities at the History Department of the University
of Ghana, Legon, for final year students to read political history of Akyem Abuakwa
instead of that of Fante States has ignited intense debate among academia, with some
roping in the handiwork of an NPP propaganda machine.
The situation has also created some uneasiness among students who are taking a
specialization course in history.
Sources close to the department say the sudden development has not been justified by
the authorities. Since the beginning of their course of study, the students were
given the handbook which states clearly that they would read “History 491 Fante
States in 17th Century.” Upon resumption of this semester, the course was changed to
“History 491 Politics in Akyem Abuakwa.”
Course Lecturer Addo Senning, who hails from the Akyem Abuakwa area is expected to
lead an avid political indoctrination of the students, an angry student has claimed.
Another student added, “I wonder how winning political souls can work through this
but I can tell you that the change of course is unfair. We should have been told
earlier.”
The History Department is dominated by NPP die-hards. Former Head of the department,
Mrs. Akosua Perbi, an NPP dyed-in-the-wool is currently on sabbatical leave. She is
said to have contributed immensely to the planning of the course outline.
According to sources, the current change in course will go a long way to eulogizing
the Danquah-Busia tradition and its capitalist ideology in the form of
“property-owning democracy.”
Our sources explained that the students do not have any available means to register
their protest or reject the change in course.
“All of them have decided to remain quiet and pursue the course¸ else they would be
failed by the authorities,” the sources said..