University of Cape Coast Students End Boycott

Cape Coast (Central Region), 4 Nov. Students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) resumed lectures today after yesterday's peaceful demonstration and boycott of lectures. The demonstration was in protest against the ban on the use of electrical gadgets in the halls of residence. Briefing the Ghana News Agency, the president of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), Mr. Henry Agyemang-Prempeh, said the students had resumed lectures for the leadership to meet the UCC authorities on the issue. Following the ''right signal'', the SRC leadership and the hall presidents will ''confer and come out with a necessary line of action in a case of a deadlock at today's meeting. The president said the SRC had already petitioned against the total ban on the use of electrical gadgets and pleaded for the use of a table-top fridge, television and gas cooker in each room at the halls of residence. Mr. Agyemang-Prempeh said the authorities "tentatively" agreed to the demands in the petition, but surprisingly they went on to announce that the total ban on the use of the gadgets was in force. When contacted, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor S.K. Adjepong, confirmed that the students were urged to resume lectures. Prof. Adjepong, however, denied that there has been a scheduled meeting with the students leadership today. Yesterday, the students demanded the immediate lifting of the ban on the use of electrical gadgets and a drastic reduction in examination and other service charges introduced by the university at the beginning of this academic year.