GIJ SRC considers re-joining NUGS a year after exit

The Students Representative Council of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ SRC) is considering re-joining the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) after its exit last year.

GIJ exited NUGS last year because it felt the association was not playing its role with regard to issues at the Institution.

The President of the GIJ SRC, Edem Dei-Tutu, while delivering the State of the SRC address at the 14th General Assembly meeting said considering the current happening at the student front, it is right that the Institution returns to the Union.

“I was a part of this house last year when we decided to take a break and reanalyze our commitments to the National Union of Ghana Students. Due to current happenings, it is the suggestion of the executive committee that we go back to our mother body.

The happenings of the past few months have thought us the importance of a stronger student union reason we are clamouring for a return. I, therefore, charge the house to consider the recommendations of the external affairs committee set up by this house during last general assembly to ensure our return to NUGS,” he said.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of GIJ SRC, Jude Holali Sablah has said that until GIJ comes to an amicable agreement with  NUGS, the Institution will not join the association.

“The union body is supposed to help fight your student’s interest which you cannot fight locally but they have not done that for us. 

“Until all issues and gaps in the relationship are resolved, we are not going back although we are considering Until pen is put to paper to make sure that there are some legalities binding our going back,” he said.

Mr Sablah also shared with UniversNews how a NUGS executive called GIJ students hooligans for demonstrating to raise their concerns to the management of the Institution.

Last two years there was an issue with student fees and there was a decision from management that those who did not pay their fees before the deadline would have to defer their course. We found that very unkind. 

“We demonstrated on this and one of the NUGS executives then called us hooligans and said they did not associate with hooligans. Why do you accept our dues then? So it’s just right that we step back,” he added.

 The GIJ SRC last year released a statement highlighting their decision to not participate in the NUGS Congress which was scheduled to take place Monday, May 3, 2021, at the Madina Institute of Science and Technology.

The statement from the GIJ SRC indicated that at a General Assembly meeting held on the 1st of May 2021, a decision, based on consensus, was taken to the effect that they cannot be present at the annual NUGS congress

The General Assembly also lamented the ineffectiveness of the local chapter of NUGS on its campus, adding that it had not been benefitting from the mother body of all student unions in Ghana.

“General Assembly has realised that GIJ-SRC has not fully benefited from NUGS because there is no policy document outlining, guiding, and detailing the vision and mission of the External Affairs Commission (Local NUGS) of the GIJ-SRC.

“The activities of the External Affairs Commission, over the years, has been limited to the provision of birth certificates and passport while voting at NUGS congresses without a clear-cut strategy on how GIJ-SRC will benefit from this. The dissatisfaction of the General Assembly regarding the operations of Local NUGS over the past few years is what has led to this,” part of the statement read.