GRADUATE STUDENTS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA

(GRASAG)

NATIONAL SECRETARIATS’
REPORT
DELIVERED AT THE FIRST SITTING OF THE 26TH SENATE ON THE 7TH OF

SEPTEMBER, 2019

AT KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (KNUST)

BY

SAMUEL SAGOE
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
1.0 Introduction

Madam Speaker,

Your Lordship the Chief Justice of GRASAG,

Honourable Local Presidents of GRASAG,

Senators,

Invited Guests,

Colleague NEC Members,

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,

May I seek your indulgence to commence my address by first and foremost

thanking you all for your presence, commitment and dedication towards the

progress of this noble association. May the good Lord continue to bless your effort.

2.0 Xenophobic Attack

Madam Speaker, permit me to add my voice to the condemnation of senseless and

unwarranted attacks meted out to other Africans of Black origin by some citizens

of South Africa. For the second time in a short while, some Africans have been at

the mercy of unprovoked attacks from some citizens of the former apartheid

country. The continual nasty and inappropriate act of brutality on some Africans

who are going about their normal duty in a fellow African country is unacceptable.

The danger is that, the same hatred if not curtailed could be extended to

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foreign students pursuing their post graduate studies in South Africa. And

this is why GRASAG is worried.

We have also taken note of comments by people in power of that country and this

gives us a course to worry. The rather weak verbal intervention of the President,

Cyril Ramaphosa, which sought to claim that the action is the handiwork of

criminals, is something we find unconvincing. Especially at the back of comment

passed by a top police chief and a subtle attempt by the South African High

Commissioner to Ghana to justify the barbaric acts rather give credence to the fear

of many that officialdom has sanctioned the attacks.

In this day and age of civilization, what one expects is a civil and matured way of

dealing with grievances if there is any. We therefore add our voice to the many

voices of reason to condemn the attack in no uncertain terms. We call on the

African Union to as a matter of urgency relocate the Pan African Parliament from

South Africa since they have proven to be anti-Africans and to also prescribe some

level of sanctions against the country. We use this opportunity to extend our

heartfelt condolences to all nations whose citizens have been directly affected by

the animalistic behavior of the South Africans especially our brothers and sisters

from Nigeria, and state that we stand with them in these hard times. We equally

condemn in no uncertain terms, the senseless attack on businesses suspected of

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being South African in Nigeria. Two wrongs can never be a justification for a

right.

With such barbaric mindsets prevailing in a number of African countries, I dare

say that Africa cannot give impetus to the African Free Trade Continental Area

agreement, if fellow Africans are continuously seen as foreigners in other African

countries. It is therefore worrying that African leaders are conspicuously quiet

about these social uprisings and left we the youth to fight our own battles. We need

action from our leaders and not just the issuing of statements to condemn the

attacks. That really is the easiest thing to do. Beyond that what diplomatic actions

are being taken by the African Union commission to forestall such future

occurrence?

3.0 Sustainable Development Goals

Madam Speaker, we believe the time has come for the world over to start paying

actionable attention to the Sustainable Development goals rather than the lip

service and the sugar coated speeches we seem to be giving to these all important

goals. Achieving these goals requires conscious efforts from all of us as human

beings and especially as youth to play our part. This is why for us at the GRASAG

National, we are taking measures to help the Ghana achieve this critical goals that

have absolute bearings on the lives of all of us.

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3.1 SDGs Champion Challenge

Madam Speaker, to play our part, GRASAG shall be organizing the SDG

Champion Challenge. This program which shall directly be supervised by my

office (ie office of the GRASAG President) will seek partnership with specific

bodies to help Ghana implement some of the Sustainable Development Goals

(SDGs) so that no one is left behind.

Even though this policy may appear challenging, it is achievable if every

GRASAG member gets involved. Our areas of focus will cover environmental

protection, improving gender equality, and clean water and sanitation. Each local

GRASAG institution will organize the SDG CHAMPION Challenge and the

entries will be assessed based on stated criteria. The winner will receive funding

for the chosen project. All GRASAG local winners will be put together at the

national level to compete and the winner will be sponsored and given national

recognition. The aim of the SDG Champions Challenge programme is to both raise

awareness of the SDGs and to demonstrate, through the example of the

Champions’ engagement with sustainable development, that everyone in society

can make a contribution towards achieving the 17 Goals.

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3.2 HeforSHe

Madam Speaker, GRASAG National under my tenure, through the office of the

Gender Commissioner, hopes to partner with the United Nations and other

stakeholders to recruit more volunteers for the HeForShe campaign. The purpose

of this partnership will be to change the stereotypical gender narrative in our

society. The Gender Commission, through the local GRASAG will train

community influencers to treat both males and females as individuals with similar

aspirations who need equal opportunities to be successful with what they aspire to

be. Each local campus will be tasked to identify specific gender related problem in

the surrounding community and organise workshops toward deconstructing gender

stereotypes in our society. Already, my able Gender Commissioner has tabled

before us plans to extend this campaign to at least 20 selected rural Senior High

Schools as part of incorporating SHSs into our HeForShe campaign. You can

choose to call it our own version of “The Year of Return”. Indeed, graduate

students are returning to our Alma matters.

3.3 Green Campaign

Under the able leadership of my General Secretary, two times Eastern Regional

GJA Best Journalist in environmental reporting, GRASAG is putting measures in

place to partner with some state agencies such as the Environmental Protection

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Agency (EPA) and the Forestry Commission to plant at least 2000 trees across the

country. The Green Campaign will be done hand in hand with the “GRASAG Year

of Return” program which is under the Office of the Gender Commissioner so that

every visit to every SHS will not only be about Gender issues but will also

incorporate training on how to protect our environment and plant at least some 100

trees in the school.

Hon. Senate Members, the world’s lung is on fire. The amazon which experts say

provide over 20 per cent of the world’s oxygen is burning. It’s impact according to

experts will be grave in the coming years and it is incumbent on all of us to do our

widows-mite in replacing the amazon if not at a centralized location like it is now,

at least spread it across the world and this is what our Green Campaign in the

“GRASAG Plant 2000 Trees” project is about.

4.0 Graduate Accommodation

Madam Speaker, the issue of accommodation for graduate students on our

respective campuses has become a challenge for many students. In some of our

campuses, Graduate Students have no access to the school’s provided

accommodation at all whiles some schools have just about one tenth of their

accommodation space reserved for graduate students. Sadly even schools with

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some few rooms reserved for graduate students have started converting such rooms

to undergraduate rooms. This is indeed a challenge for many of our members.

Honourable Members of Senate, GRASAG national is therefore stating its position

on the graduate students accommodation issues as follows;

1. Universities need to identify strategic funding partners to support

Institutional efforts to increase accommodation on campus.

2. Government must establish a special purpose vehicle to secure external

funding to construct new halls of residence on campus just as was done with

the university of Ghana medical center.

3. Government must shelve/abandon the intended privatization of traditional

halls of residence.

For us, we believe accommodation on our various campuses must not be based on

profiteering. No one does any Student favours by providing accommodation for the

Student. Graduate students are partners in our socio-economic development and

must be given the needed supports to make meaningful contribution to our growth

as a nation.

5.0 Public University Bill

Madam Speaker, on a more pressing matter of the PUBLIC UNIVERSITY BILL,

which has been drafted by Government, pending parliamentary consideration and

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approval, GRASAG has strong reservations against the bill and call for outright

withdrawal of the bill from our public discourse. It is our considered view that,

laws are essentially made to solve societal problem or cure a mischief. However,

certain provisions of this bill only create the avenue for mischief and largely

destroy academic freedom. The drafters of this bill may have good intentions but

leaving certain provisions of the bill remaining the way it is now will only create

avenue for a politician with ill intentions to manipulate and unduly control policy

directions, appointments and promotions to our public universities in Ghana. At

this time we want to quote the popular idiom, “if it is not broken, do not fix it”.

In trying to centralised the control of our Universities, government refuses to

acknowledge the fact that each University has its own unique history, purpose of

establishment and strategic plans.

Madam Speaker, the bill as it stands now only creates a culture of intimidation,

fear, and politicization which will just stifle academic progress, and with best

practice across the world that is not what is done.

5.1 Institutional Autonomy

Madam Speaker, I was watching a news item yesterday and saw with utmost

sadness that the headmaster of Aggrey Memorial Zion SHS in Cape Coast has been

sacked for admitting some second years into the boarding house, a phenomenon

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which used to be the case in almost every secondary school. He is accused of

trying to sabotage government policy with that decision by the School

Management Committee. Let’s me state that government had the liberty to take

such action because all secondary schools are fully under the control of

government and by extension government can use them for its politically expedient

program without recourse to the school's original mandate and aspirations. We

cannot afford to have similar situation in our PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES, where

government can impose a decision on University council and expect the university

to comply. We should not give any politician the room to have control over our

University education, the way have controlled our secondary schools and almost

destroyed our public basic education.

Allowing such a bill to stand will mean a change in political leadership of Ghana,

may mean a change in academic policy direction in our public universities.

It is the argument of GRASAG that the bill in its current form, would stifle

initiative and politicise the Universities. The bill if it passed would take away any

incentive for public universities to seek to be innovative and progressive.

Hon. Senators, it is important to explain that some of the fine proposals by

government in the bill can actually be implemented without putting it in an

amalgamated public university statute. For instance, the centralised admissions is a

policy that can be implemented without necessarily enacting a new statute. We

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shall ensure that we follow this issue with all the seriousness it deserves. (No

admission fees, only processing fees due to challenges of reconciliation.)

6.0 Conclusion

In conclusion, Madam Speaker and Honourable Senate Members, I wish to state

that the Samuel Sago administration has no doubt whatsoever about the enormity

of the challenges ahead of us but we assure all GRASAG members that we shall do

whatever within our means to make GRASAG more visible, vibrant and relevant.

Our challenges may be enormous, but with God in our boat and the support of my

able local Presidents, NEC, Senate and all members of GRASAG, we shall surely

prevail.

Thank you.

Samuel Sagoe

(National President)

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