Help Improve Security, Residential Facilities In UCC – Vice Chancellor Appeals To President Akufo-Addo
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Professor Johnson Nyarko Boampong, has made a passionate appeal to President Akufo-Addo to personally intervene in the security situation on the UCC campus which has been occasioned by land encroachments and the lack of adequate residential facilities on campus.
Addressing the President at the Jubilee House, when he led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on the President on Friday, 17th of December 2021, the UCC Vice-Chancellor indicated that due to what appears to be an encroachment on UCC lands, which has resulted in a merger of the indigenous community and the student body of UCC, a serious security situation exists and same needs to be addressed urgently.
The Vice-Chancellor also noted that the university would very much appreciate the construction of a 5,000 capacity residential hostel facility on campus. This facility he says would greatly influence the number of admissions UCC can make annually.
“The university land was acquired by the government by an executive instrument and compensations were paid, but over the years, the university had challenges with the community and much as the university is the economic backbone of Cape Coast, the activities of the communities are affecting the university considerably,” Professor Nyarko Boampong said.
“We have theft cases, robbery and the students are unsafe on campus and because we do not have enough residential facilities for them, most of them are also living in the communities.”
“We have had challenges, sometimes the community protesting when we even want to construct walls to safeguard some of the areas that are prone to flooding and we have pictures and the documents to show. So we are here to seek your support,” he added.
*Urgent Attention*
President Akufo-Addo in his response noted that the two concerns of security and residential facilities that the UCC leadership has brought before him are extremely important and that his administration will ensure that they are addressed.
He assured the delegation that they had brought their challenges to the right place and they would receive prompt attention from his government.
“I am glad you came. I think the issues that you have put on the table are important and with the status that the university has worked for and now achieved, I think it is incumbent on all of us to give this university our maximum support,” President Akufo-Addo said.
*UCC*
The University of Cape Coast was established in October 1962 as a University College and placed in a special relationship with the University of Ghana, Legon.
On October 1, 1971, the College attained the status of a full and independent University, with the authority to confer its degrees, diplomas and certificates by an Act of Parliament – The University of Cape Coast Act, 1971 [Act 390] and subsequently the University of Cape Coast Law, 1992 [PNDC Law 278].
The University was established out of a dire need for highly qualified and skilled manpower in education.
Its original mandate was therefore to train graduate professional teachers for Ghana’s second cycle institutions and the Ministry of Education to meet the manpower needs of the country’s accelerated education programme at the time.
Today, with the expansion of some of its Faculties/Schools and the diversification of programmes, the University can meet the manpower needs of other ministries and industries in the country, besides that of the Ministry of Education.
From an initial student enrolment of 155 in 1963, the University of Cape Coast now has a total student population of 74, 720.
The University started with two departments, namely: Arts and Science. These departments developed into Faculties in 1963.
To achieve the set objectives, in 1964, the University created two more Faculties, namely: Education and Economics & Social Studies [now Faculty of Social Sciences].
The fifth faculty [School of Agriculture] was established in 1975. The Faculty of Science was split into the Schools of Physical and Biological Sciences during the 2002/2003 academic year while the Department of Business Studies was also elevated to the School of Business with effect from the 2003/2004 academic year.
From Wilberforce Asare