In the last week, two incidents have put our schools in the national spotlight. First, there were anguished discussions about security on our campuses after the death of a level 200 student at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Innocentia Avinu.
Similar incidents have occurred on other campuses over the years. The lack of security on our campuses has been a problem for decades, but let me put the second problem on the table.
Apparently, there is anger that parents are delivering gifts of cars, among others, to their kids on the campuses of private senior high schools (SHSs).
Neither of these problems should engage a national government that is struggling to deal with galamsey, floods, South African xenophobia and reparations.
A few years ago, there was a supposed fight between Commonwealth and Sarbah students at the University of Ghana.
myself and many others were surprised that despite getting almost a day’s notice, the University authorities could NOT prevent the supposed riots.
Furthermore, it was revealed that in many Halls, there were many non-students who had been resident for years!
How can non-students get to live in student dormitories/rooms when some students in good standing cannot get accommodation? And after this dereliction, the Legon authorities just handed out sanctions to students and Hall administrators without due process.
My kids have both completed University here in the US and I attended University of Toronto. Here in the US, during our tour of schools the question of campus safety was repeatedly brought up and addressed by the Universities.
They discussed lighting, cameras on campus, control of access points, security patrols and alarm systems. Thus while deaths and assaults occur on campuses here, they are rare.
It is not acceptable that University students can be left at the mercy of thieves, rapists and other criminals while they live on campus.
University student Unions and lecturers should demand that University authorities address these issues.
students and their families should use safety as a criteria for deciding which school to attend. As for the question of gifts of cars, etc to students, it demonstrates starkly that both the parents involved and the schools need to lift their moral standards.
What kind of juvenile exhibitionism would make a parent take a car to a campus as a gift to their child? Why can’t the gift be given at home? How does this make poor children at the school feel? Why would school authorities permit this?
Why can’t PTA’s step in to make the school environment a safe and moral place for all our kids? During my days at Presec-legon, the way we knew that students such as Afflu and Nartey were from rich homes was that they shared the excess food they got from home.
Let’s return to the days of the egalitarian high schools when the rich were circumspect and the poor were made to feel equal and at home.
While schools under trees and lack of teachers deserve the attention of national government, school authorities can and should handle these second-order problems.
May God bless Ghana.
