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171 Methodist University students given green light to go back to school
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- Parent Category: Education & Training
- Category: The NoticeBoard
- Created on Friday, 12 October 2012 20:18
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171 Methodist University students given green light to go back to school
One hundred and seventy-one additional students who were withdrawn from the Methodist University College (MUC) heaved a sigh of relief Thursday when the National Accreditation Board (NAB) was ordered by the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court to put a stop to its decision to withdraw them from the university.
That followed the granting of an application by the students to join them to a suit pending in the court between 98 students of the university and the NAB.Already, the 98 students are reported to have gone back to school following the court's restraining order on the NAB from going ahead with its directive to withdraw them from the MUC until further notice.
According to the court, withdrawing the students from the university would cause undue hardship to them and said until the determination of the suit brought against the NAB and the university, the students must return to school.
The court's ruling followed a motion for the enforcement of the fundamental human rights of the students filed by their lawyer, Mr Gary Nimako Marfo of Puozuing & Associates, an Accra-based legal firm.
The students are seeking a declaration that their withdrawal from the MUC is unconstitutional and unlawful.
They are further seeking an order of perpetual injunction directed at the NAB, the Ministry of Education and the Attorney-General to forever restrain the three from interfering with their right to equal educational opportunities and facilities, as enshrined in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.
The court ruled that exhibits tendered by the students indicated that when they were admitted, the university had been granted accreditation by the NAB to offer the various programmes to which the students were admitted.
It said the documents submitted to the NAB for accreditation contained the entry requirements to the various programmes and that, at all material times, the NAB knew about the entry requirements of the various programmes offered the students.
The substantive matter was adjourned to November 29,2012.
In a supplementary affidavit deposed to by Jesse Caleb Brown of Augtory Hostel Limited, Dansoman, on behalf of the students, the students said the university caused a publication to be made in the Daily Graphic of Friday, January 7, 2011 advertising for qualified candidates to enrol for admission in the 201112012 academic year.
They said among the requisite qualifications advertised as entry requirements were HND, DBS or diploma from any recognised institution, RSA stages II & III, post-secondary teacher training certificate from a recognised institution, diplomas from recognised universities and professional certificates from recognised professional bodies and the Association of Business Executives (ABE).
They said they paid tuition fees ranging from GH¢1,400 to GH¢2,686 or more, depending on the various courses offered by the MUC for the 2011/2012 academic year.
The NAB, through its Executive Secretary, Mr Kwame Dattey, had written to the first respondent that it had granted accreditation for the programmes the applicants were offered.
The students said the MUC was required to send information on its programmes for accreditation and re-accreditation by the NAB, which the university complied with.
The NAB, they said, had, at all material times, been aware of the entry requirements for admission to the MUC for its programmes and had approved same prior to publication.
They said the university ran several public advertisements in respect of its admission requirements and admitted students but the NAB had never objected to the said publications by the university.
They said the NAB had, in a letter signed by Mr Dattey and dated May 28, 2012, indicated to the university to withdraw all of them from the institution because there were deficiencies in their entry requirements to the university.
Based on those directives, they claimed, the university complied and withdrew all of them from the institution.
The students said the NAB did not give any notice or invite any of them to hear their side of the story before issuing the directive to have all of them withdrawn from the MUC.
From: Daily Graphic/Ghana
