The Registrar, Mr. John Kofi Nyan, has sworn into office the newly-elected student leaders of the University for the 2019/2020 Academic Year at a Handing Over Ceremony on campus.
They include executives for the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) made up of the President, Mr. Albert Awortwe Sagoe; Vice President, Ms Hilda Boahemaa Bannor, Secretary, Samuel Panti Gyandoh; Treasurer, Cosmos Amoah; Financial Secretary, Mr. Theophilus Osei Peprah; Organising Secretary, Mr. Emmanuel Ekow Egyir and Women’s Commissioner, Ms. Joanmina Awortwe Mensah.
The executives for the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) are President, Mr. Zaki Abdul-Hamid; Vice President, Ms. Doris Akalachiba Asandem; Secretary, Ms. Juliet Takyiwaa Nyamekye; Coordinating Secretary, Ms. Irene Gyebuah; Treasurer, Mr. Lawrence Agbeko; Public Relations Officer, Mr. Osei Agyemang and General Sports Secretary, Mr. Jesse Ackah.
The Local National Union of Ghana Students executives are the President, Mr. Achire Adam; Secretary, Ms. Marian Lillian Brainoo and the Women’s Commissioner, Ms. Irene Gyebuah Asare.
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Management will Collaborate with Students’ Leadership
Speaking at the function, the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Eric Magnus Wilmot, who chaired the function assured that Management would collaborate with the students’ leadership in managing the University. He called on them to always engage the University Management with dialogue in resolving issues, adding that “Let’s come into consensus with the sole aim of creating a conducive academic environment for all members of the University Community, especially for you the students”.
Creation of Research Commons
Prof. Wilmot said the University Management had approved funds for the creation of Research Commons at the Sam Jonah Library to improve postgraduate students’ research work. He informed the students that a number of projects including the state-of-the-art lecture theatres were under construction and would soon be completed to ease the congestion in the existing lecture halls. “The era where some postgraduate students met in their lecturers’ offices for lectures will be no more because some of the lecture theatres will solely be devoted to postgraduate students,” he announced.
Prof. Wilmot represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Joseph Ghartey Ampiah at the function.
Work as A Team
The Dean of the School of Graduate Studies, Prof. Ernest Laryea Okorley, advised the student leaders to work as a team to unite the entire students’ body of the University. “If the SRC and GRASAG executives do not hold the students front together we won’t have peace and progress for our University,” he admonished.
Listen to Concerns of Students
Prof. Okorley urged the student leaders to listen to the concerns of their followers and make efforts to address them adding that “A leader who does not listen to his followers is like a car on top speed without a break”. However, he cautioned the leaders not to be a mouthpiece for students on any issue without processing the information they receive from them. “A leader who follows the people is like a car that is broken down, it can never move” he told them.
GRASAG Leadership Needs the Support and Cooperation of Postgraduate Students
In his inaugural speech, the President of GRASAG, Mr. Albert Awortwe Sagoe called for the support and cooperation of students to effectively carry out the responsibilities entrusted to executives. “Our administration will be member centered where as much as possible we will assimilate the views and ideas of all to push the association to the next level” he assured.
Mr. Sagoe said his team would collaborate with the School of Graduate Studies and University Management to help promote a congenial atmosphere for postgraduate studies to thrive in the University. “In our current dispensation, students and management must be seen as partners in development not adversarial parties with conflicting interest. This can only be done when both parties respect the views and contributions each other in solving the myriad of problems bedeviling us,” he noted.
We will Place Students Interest Above Anything
On his part, the SRC President, Mr. Zaki Abdul-Hamid commended the efforts of the previous executives and indicated that their efforts would not be in vain. “My team will also place students’ interest above anything,” he stressed. He said his administration would continue to deepen the collaboration by opening all channels of communications. He appealed to students to take keen interests in SRC activities in order to build a formidable students body.
Present at the function were the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Eugene K. M. Darteh and the Director of Academic Affairs, Mr. Jeff T. Onyame.