Damages caused during the violent protest by students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), is estimated at 1.6 million Ghana cedis.
This is according to authorities of the school, who also indicated that the cost excludes items that were stolen during the violent protest.
The revelation comes on the back of a visit to the school today [Wednesday], by the Chancellor of the University, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
Speaking to Citi News, the University Relations Officer, Kwame Yeboah, said it is still unclear who will bear the cost of the damages until investigations into the incident are completed.
“The damage cost has been assessed and it is in the region of about 1.6 to 1.7 million cedis, and if we use the old currency it is about 16 to 17 billion Ghana cedis. This excludes items that were stolen in our offices. Both private and public property.”
“The assessment done was on the facility that were destroyed, the CCTV cameras, vehicles, glasses that were smashed. These are the items that were destroyed. The committee that will be set up will look into the cause of this, and going forward know what to do. We will do all these and that will enable us know exactly what we are suppose to do by way of cost.”
The Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, paid a visit to the school today [Wednesday] to assess the damage caused, after the violent student protests.
[contextly_sidebar id=”naAvRvo0lSptCKui6kbpbDHNeyq0IS31”]Rampaging students destroyed over 40 staff cars and also vandalized school properties.
The Asantehene has already stepped in to have lecturers call off their strike in protest of the dissolution of the school’s governing council.
The government asked the Asantehene to take steps to reconstitute a new Governing Council in accordance with the institution’s relevant statutes and laws.
The new council is expected to be constituted on Friday along with the reinstatement of the Vice Chancellor, Professor Kwasi Obiri Danso, who asked to step aside on Monday.
The government constituted an interim council after it closed down KNUST over the violent protest.
It gave the council a 3-month tenure to work towards addressing the impasse between students and the university management, while making sure the University reopens before November 8, 2018.
There was however opposition to the developments, as members of the Senior Staff Association, the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA), the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), and the Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU) staged a demonstration against the dissolution of the University’s Governing Council.
This forced government to make a U-turn, giving the Asantehene much of the task to deal with the impasse.
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By: Marian Ansah| citinewsroom.com | Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah
