TaTU Students Protest Over Poor Facilities and Fee Hikes Turns Violent

Tamale: A peaceful protest staged by students at the Tamale Technical University (TaTU) on Tuesday, over poor facilities and increased fees turned chaotic when the demonstrators clashed with Police officers deployed to manage the demonstration.According to Ghana News Agency, the demonstration, organized by the leadership of the Graduate Students' Association of Ghana (GRASAG) and the Students' Representative Council (SRC), began with students carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as 'Fix TaTU Now,' 'End Open Defecation on Campus,' and 'Free Us from Petty Democratic Challenges.'The protest, however, escalated when Police officers fired warning shots and sprayed hot water to disperse the crowd. The agitated students responded by pelting stones at the officers and burning car tyres in front of the administration block to express their anger and frustration.Many of the students sustained injuries during the confrontation and were rushed to the university's clinic where they were treated and later disc harged. Alhaji Abdul-Ganiwu Issah, President of GRASAG, explained that the protest was primarily to register students' displeasure over the alleged removal of SRC and GRASAG representatives from the university's fee-fixing committee as well as delays in the release of SRC funds.He added that the demonstration also reflected broader dissatisfaction on campus regarding alleged systemic neglect of students' welfare, misapplication of funds, and management's attempt to impose unjustified fee increases. The students accused the university's management of failing to provide basic amenities such as potable water in hostels, proper sanitation facilities, and a well-equipped ICT laboratory despite the collection of various levies.They also criticized the continued withholding of certificates from some graduates for more than two years, the closure of satellite campuses at Walewale, Yendi, and Wulensi without alternatives, and the charging of hostel fees without corresponding improvements in accommodation. The prot esters demanded an independent investigation into allegations of financial mismanagement, a forensic audit of the university's internally generated funds, and the suspension of any proposed fee increment until management had properly accounted for existing funds and addressed gaps in service delivery. Meanwhile, calm has been restored on the university's campus.