The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is mourning the loss of Adzo Ahadzie, a 6th-year Master of Architecture student, who tragically died after being hit by a vehicle while riding her bicycle on Club House Road within the campus on Tuesday evening.
Despite being quickly transported to the KNUST Hospital, she succumbed to her injuries later that night.
The driver involved in the accident initially attempted to flee but was subsequently apprehended.
As of now, there have been no official statements from KNUST authorities or the Ghana Police Service regarding the incident.
The Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has reaffirmed his dedication to maintaining the institution’s esteemed reputation on the global platform.
Addressing attendees at the Chancellor’s Week celebration organized by KNUST, Otumfuo reiterated his commitment to advancing the university’s growth and progress.
“My association with the university reaffirms my commitment to ensure that this institution ascends to greater heights.
“I stand by the commitment I made upon assuming the role of chancellor, to propel KNUST to become one of the premier educational institutions in the world,” myjoyonline.com quoted him to have said.
The Chancellor’s Week festivities, themed “The Asantehene and Chancellor of KNUST: 25 years of Exemplary Leadership,” featured an array of engaging activities, including debates, musical performances, the Chancellor’s Cup, and Chancellor’s Day.
Expressing appreciation for the accolade bestowed upon him, Otumfuo acknowledged the collaborative efforts that have propelled the university’s advancement.
“I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the entire university community. Your words of inspiration and appreciation fuel my commitment. Together, with entities such as TEWU, GRASAG, and UTAG, we will continue to nurture this relationship for the betterment of the university,” he stated.
Dr. Yaw Adutwum, Minister of Education, commended Otumfuo for his transformative impact on the educational sector, notably through initiatives like the Otumfuo Education Foundation.
“You have been a beacon of hope for Ghanaian youths, providing opportunities for education where there were none. Your vision of equal access to education has reshaped countless lives and fostered a more equitable society,” Dr. Adutwum lauded.
Jim, a final year Economics student at the esteemed Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, tragically passed away on Thursday night in circumstances that have left many in shock.
According to reports from Luv FM’s Fiifi Manfred, Jim collapsed and died unexpectedly while dining with friends on campus.
Jim is the first child of NSA boss Prof Peter Ofori Twumasi; last night he dropped dead while eating with his friends on campus. What a week Prof Twumasi has had 🕊️ https://t.co/y2fEBtnkJmpic.twitter.com/lFwsWzK34p
The news of Jim’s untimely death has deeply affected the university community, prompting an outpouring of condolences from students and staff members to the grieving Twumasi family.
While the cause of Jim’s death remains undisclosed, investigations are underway to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.
Peter Twumasi, who has led the National Sports Authority since 2018, is a prominent figure in Ghanaian sports circles.
This devastating loss comes just three weeks after Peter Twumasi’s unsuccessful bid for a parliamentary seat in the NPP elections in the Ahafo Ano South West constituency.
The late Epiphany Asare reportedly died due to menstrual cramps, an allegation many netizens are finding it hard to believe.
A viral video circulating online captured the emotional moments as family and friends gathered to pay their last respects to the 22-year-old.
Epiphany’s boyfriend’s name undisclosed had previously indicated that she succumbed to menstrual cramps, a claim that has sparked scepticism among netizens.
The late student’s boyfriend had previously disclosed her struggles with severe menstrual pain, expressing disbelief that she couldn’t overcome it last month.
The funeral video depicts the sorrowful atmosphere as mourners bid their final farewell to Epiphany.
Amidst growing doubts, some individuals have questioned whether an autopsy was conducted before her burial to determine the true cause of her death.
The assertion that she died from menstrual cramps has left many perplexed and seeking clarity from the grieving family.
Oluwatosin Oluwole Ajibade, better known by his stage name Mr. Eazi, a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record executive recently shared insights into his unexpected educational journey to Ghana, discarding initial plans for studies in Canada.
During a candid interview on Accra-based 3 Music TV, he revealed how his mother redirected him to Ghana, asserting it was “almost the same thing” as Canada.
Reflecting on the cultural shift, he humorously recounted his initial dislike to Ghanaian cuisine, particularly the flavorful hot pepper sauce known as Shito, which has now become one of his favorite delicacies.
The singer expressed disbelief at the notion of Ghana being equivalent to Canada but acknowledged the unique experiences that unfolded during his academic journey in the West African nation.
He is the pioneer of Banku music, a fusion of sound he describes as a mixture of Ghanaian highlife and Nigerian chord progressions and patterns.
Mr. Eazi relocated to Kumasi in 2008 and enrolled at KNUST, where he began booking artists to perform at college parties.
He showed interest in music after recording a guest verse on “My Life”, a song that gained traction and became a popular record at KNUST.
Mr. Eazi released his debut mixtape About to Blow in 2013.
He gained an international audience following the release of the Efya-assisted single “Skin Tight”. His second mixtape, titled Life Is Eazi, Vol. 1 – Accra To Lagos, was released in 2017.
Plastic trash has been a “cash cow” for the manufacturing industry over time since it can be recycled into a variety of goods, including bags, furniture, and even building materials.
However, until a 20-year-old student’s experiment showed otherwise, the ‘layman’ believed that extracting diesel from plastic garbage was impossible.
With the necessary support, Emmanuel Nimo, a student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) could boost the country’s fuel sector with his latest invention.
In a step-by-step process, he adopted a more pragmatic approach of the scientifically tested ‘Pyrolysis ‘procedure, to extract the oil.
First, he squeezed the bottles into a saucepan and placed them on fire.
The bottles melted in a saucepan, leaving behind a thick black substance that he identified as crude oil.
“Plastic is a by-product of crude oil, these black things that have come out. Now let’s pour the other things in it,” he said while moving on to the next stage.
Emmanuel then added some chemicals to it, kept it on the heat a bit further and a full bottle of diesel was extracted.
That’s not all, they tested the substance by using it to power diesel engines of a car and other factory gadgets and it worked.
Some residents of the Obuasi Municipality have heaped praises on the government for introducing the ‘No Guarantor’ Student Loan Policy.
This was after the management of the Students Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) led by its Chief Executive Officer Nana Kwaku Agyei Yeboah met with traders, drivers and market women at the Obuasi Central Market to sensitise them on how to access the fund.
In a series of publicity drives which started on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, in Obuasi, managers of the fund earlier met with Artisans and Staff of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly to also brief them on the details of the SLTF.
Led by Yaa Achiaa, a tomato seller at the Obuasi Central Market, she said hitherto, they had challenges accessing student loans due to difficulties in finding guarantors. She said the government since coming to office in 2017 has made education accessible with the introduction of the Free Senior High School policy and the ‘No Guarantor’ loan system.
“The government has relieved us of the burden of funding education in the country. Now, as parents, we don’t have to go through the stress of looking for money to pay our wards’ school fees. This Government is a blessing,” she added.
The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia launched the ‘No Guarantor’ Student Loan Policy at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi, on Wednesday, June 8, 2022.
The ‘No Guarantor’ Student Loan Policy, a promise by the Akufo-Addo government before the 2020 elections, is to make tertiary education accessible to Ghanaian youth, especially graduates from the highly subscribed Free Senior High School policy.
With the ‘No Guarantor’ Student Loan Policy, the cumbersome and restrictive policy of students providing three SSNIT contributors as guarantors before they could access student loans for tertiary education is now a thing of the past.
The Chief Executive officer of the Student Loan Trust Fund Nana Kwaku Agyei Yeboah in an interaction with the media after the sensitization sessions in Obuasi said the ‘No Guarantor’ loan scheme is proof of the government’s commitment to enhance access to education in the country.
He appealed to Ghanaians to take full advantage of the ease with which one can access the loan, to acquire it to cushion their children’s education.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi Honourable Elijah Adansi-Bonah lauded the government for introducing the policy. He said the government despite the economic challenges facing the country, has not relented in performing its responsibilities of improving the living standards of Ghanaians.
He appealed to residents of Obuasi to rally behind the Government to deliver on its promises.
The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) is worried about the President’s dismissal of Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa as Director-General of the Ghana Education Service (GES).
NAGRAT said the development is not only surprising but also has left members of the association with overwhelming disappointment.
“This is very disappointing. We are surprised because we had someone who was able to build a very positive relationship and rapport with the union”, said NAGRAT President, Angel Carbonu.
Prof. Opoku-Amankwa was relieved of his position in a letter dated Monday, October 17, 2022, because his services were no longer needed, according to a statement from the Presidency.
The contract was extended again in June 2021, but this extension according to the letter was in “contravention of the Human Resource Policy Frame and Manual of the Public Services Commission, as it purports to extend your secondment beyond the 3-year maximum limit.”
NAGRAT believes the termination of Prof. Opoku-Amankwa’s appointment will affect critical decisions concerning better conditions of service for teachers.
“A lot of our discussions with him had reached advanced stages. So for this termination to come at this time, I think there is someone at the Jubilee House who is not aware of the work going on at the GES. As far as I am concerned, this controversial termination is going to affect us.”
When asked about his expectation of a new Director-General for the GES, Angel Carbonu said he does not expect the next appointee to be a political party operative.
“I expect the new Director-General to be someone who has gone through the mill of the GES, risen through the ranks and understands the intricacies of the service. I also expect someone who will extricate himself from the political party that appoints him and sees himself as professional and not a party operative by opening his doors to the union in addressing issues”, he suggested.
Meanwhile, Prof. Opoku-Amankwa has been instructed to return to the KNUST.
The contests will take place concurrently at three venues from 9 am at the Saarah-Mensah, KNUST SHS and Kumapley auditoriums.
NSMQ giants and past winners like Mfantsipim School, Achimota School and St. Thomas Aquinas are beginning their journey from the preliminary stage with fans wondering whether they will be able to make it to the grand finale.
This is the second time the competition is being held in Kumasi on the KNUST campus, with 117 schools set to participate in the preliminary stage.
In an earlier interview with JoyNews, the Programme Coordinator of Primetime Limited, Stephen Yankey, said all is set for another enthralling competition in Kumasi.
“…our venues for the competition are also set up; we are ready to start the contests on Monday [October 10]. This year, we are holding the prelims at three venues; that is from Monday to Thursday.
“The team from Primetime has been working hard to ensure that everything would take place seamlessly,” he assured.
The national championship is expected to generate the usual thrilling sensation that always grabs the attention and interest of the country.
Already, many NSMQ enthusiasts want the defending champions, Prempeh College, to win the trophy for the sixth time to equalise the number of times Presec-Legon has won it.
Below are the today’s fixtures:
The 2022 National Science and Maths Quiz is produced by Primetime Limited and sponsored by the Ghana Education Service in partnership with Absa Ghana.
The broadcast on JoyNews is supported by Virtual Infosec Africa, Virtual, Security Africa, Vita Milk, Cowbell, Alumni by Enterprise and Fay International Limited.
Others are; Ace Medical Insurance, Azar Group, Kings Group Limited, Family Health Medical School, DBS, KORBA and Pharmatrust Limited.
The guarantee comes in the wake of the 2021 Auditor-publication, General’s Report’s which revealed that more than 600 programs offered by the two top institutions lacked accreditation.
Only 61 of the 360 programs provided by the KNUST were accredited, the report claims, while 374 UG programs were not accredited.
This has triggered concerns about the validity of the certificates issued by the two universities to those who participate in such programmes.
“We are fully aware that the students are the likely innocent and unfortunate victims and so the board will make sure that their interests are protected.†– GTEC
Assurance
However, the Director-General of the GTEC, Professor Mohammed Salifu, has allayed such fears, saying: “We want to reassure the students that their interests will be at the centre of the resolution of the problem and shall be protected.â€
“We are fully aware that the students are the likely innocent and unfortunate victims and so the commission will make sure that their interests are protected,â€Â Prof Salifu told Graphic Online’s Severious Kale-Dery.
Legacy issues
Prof. Salifu said the issues were “legacy issues†that predated the establishment of GTEC, and added that the commission had been working with the universities for a speedy resolution, even before the release of the Auditor-General’s Report.
“As a result, many of the programmes flagged as being without active accreditation in the report have either now been fully reaccredited or are at advanced stages of consideration by GTEC.â€
“Indeed, some are due to be approved by the next board meeting on September 15, 2022,†he added.
Accreditation regime
Prof. Salifu explained that every programme offered by a university at first accreditation was for a period of three years and subsequently for a five-year duration for re-accreditation.
Therefore, all programmes had to go through reaccreditation every five years, he pointed out.
He explained that the rationale for re-accreditation was to ensure that the programmes remained fit for purpose and were being delivered to the required standards and quality.
He added that every accreditation approval letter explicitly stated that the “institution must start the process for re-accreditation one year before the expiry of the current accreditationâ€.
“So the onus is on the university to trigger the process by completing the appropriate self-assessment questionnaire freely available on the GTEC website,†he added.
The director-general expressed regret that in spite of the above provisions, many of the programmes referred to by the Auditor-General’s Report had their accreditation by the erstwhile National Accreditation Board lapsing as far back as 2013, without any action being taken by the universities in accordance with the conditions of accreditation and the law.
Accusation untenable
Prof. Salifu said claims that the problem was due to the slow nature of the assessment process or bureaucracy at GTEC were a misleading distraction intended to shift blame.
In his view, “if both universities had simply followed the rules and the law, the problem we are addressing today would not have arisenâ€.
“The GTEC takes responsibility for its processes and strives to improve upon them all the times, even though one or two isolated glitches may occur occasionally, as it is with every human institution.
“But, certainly, running a programme without accreditation, whether expired or never acquired, since 2013 cannot reasonably be blamed on bureaucracy or inaction by an institution that is barely two years old,†he said.
Sanctions
He reminded managers of all universities about the severe sanctions regime prescribed under the new Education Regulatory Bodies Act 2020 (Act 1023), which included steep fines or imprisonment or both for “advertising; causing to be advertised and/or running an institution or programme without a valid accreditationâ€.
“For now, our priority is working proactively with the universities to rectify the current situation, but the universities need to be on notice, as they were informed during engagements with GTEC, long before the release of the Auditor-General’s report, that some sanctions would have to follow after the resolution.
“It is important that measures taken as part of the process for resolving this situation are deterrent enough to avoid any future recurrence,†he said.
He hinted that at a meeting held last Friday, at the instance of the Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, between council chairpersons and vice-chancellors of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), KNUST and UG, on the one hand, and the GTEC, on the other, both parties resolved to expedite action on the prior agreed plan for a speedy resolution.
Prof. Salifu advised potential students and parents to always visit the GTEC website to check on the accreditation status of all programmes before enrolling onto them.
They should also form the habit of looking out for the list of GTEC accredited institutions published in the media from time to time to guide their choices, he added.
This means, all university halls will no longer be electing students as executives from the 2023/2024 academic year to manage hall activities.
The existing governance structure comprising Hall Councils, Hall Masters and Senior Tutors, would continue to operate in the management of the affairs of the Halls.
In addition, Hall Fellows will be appointed and assigned to floors/blocks of the Halls to exercise direct supervision over matters affecting students.
“In the meantime, Hall Week and SRC Week Celebrations have been SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY,” a statement dated August 26, 2022, signed and issued by the Registrar, A.K. Boateng at the end of an emergency Council meeting said.
The University Council had met among others, to discuss the Report of a Fact-Finding Committee, constituted by the Executive Committee of the University, following the recent disturbances arising from the Hall Week celebrations of the University Hall, commonly referred to as Katanga.
In addition to that, the council has recommended the dismissal of all students found to have been involved in last week’s hooliganism, which resulted in the destruction of property and injuries to some students.
At least 12 students sustained injuries from the August 18, 2022 clashes at the campus of the university in Kumasi and were treated at the hospital.
The police also counted 12 damaged vehicles as a result of the incident.
Some students, alleged to be part of the perpetrators have been arrested and arraigned.
After Friday’s emergency meeting, the University Council has also decided that “any student who participates in the organisation of ‘morale’ and/or “procession’ shall be SUMMARILY DISMISSED.”
“Any student/students who is/are caught to be harboring dismissed, rusticated, withdrawn student(s) and/alumnus/alumna in his/her room in any of the Halls of Residence on Campus, shall be sanctioned, appropriately.
“Students who indulge in any act which will warrant dismissal, will have their names and pictures widely published in the National Dailies and on the University Website;
“Students who are rusticated for various offences will have their names and pictures published internally for the attention of the University Community,” it added.
Below is a copy of a statement issued by Secretary to the Council and Registrar, A.K. Boateng
COUNCIL DECISIONS ON DISTURBANCES ARISING OUT OF UNIVERSITY HALL WEEK CELEBRATIONS
COUNCIL of the University at an EMERGENCY MEETING held on Friday, 26th August, 2022, among others, discussed the Report
of a Fact-Finding Committee, constituted by the Executive Committee of the University, following the recent disturbances arising from the Hall Week Celebrations of the University Hall, and decided as follows:
1. With effect from the 2023/2024 Academic Year, the Junior Common Room (JCR) System of Hall Management by students, is ABOLISHED.
This means, there would be no Students’ elections for hall executives.
The existing governance structure comprising Hall Councils, Hall Masters and Senior Tutors, would continue to operate in the management of the affairs of the Halls.
In addition, Hall Fellows will be appointed and assigned to floors/blocks of the Halls to exercise direct supervision over matters affecting students.
In the meantime, Hall Week and SRC Week Celebrations have been SUSPENDED INDEFINITELY.
2. Any student who participates in the organisation of ‘morale’ and/or “procession’ shall be SUMMARILY DISMISSED.
3. Any student/students who is/are caught to be harboring dismissed, rusticated, withdrawn student(s) and/alumnus/alumna in his/her room in any of the Halls of Residence on Campus, shall be sanctioned, appropriately.
4. Students who indulge in any act which will warrant dismissal, will have their names and pictures widely published in the National Dailies and on the University Website;
5. Students who are rusticated for various offences will have their names and pictures published internally for the attention of the University Community.
6. Council vehemently condemned the recent disturbances and supported the ongoing investigations by the Ghana Police Service and the University Authorities.
It was the decision of Council that any person/student found culpable should be dealt with according to the rules of the University and
those requiring further prosecution by the State should be handed over to the Police.
Council wishes to express its profound gratitude to the Ashanti Regional Minister, the Inspector-General of Police, the Regional Police Commander, and the Central Command of the Ghana Armed Forces, for the professional role they played in helping to restore calm and tranquility on the University campus.
