KNUST SRC WEEK CELEBRATIONS.
…A CASE OF MISPLACED PRIORITY?
It is an undeniable fact that SRC week celebrations are very important. It is a time that the whole school is brought together for different purposes ranging from academic to entertainment. I always love to see the cadet corps of the various halls marching in unison. It’s always a lovely sight. It is also a time that the SRC gets closer to the student populace and amongst other things renders accounts of their mandate. One thing I loved about this year’s parade was the very supportive role played by the FIRST LADY of the students’ body. I doff my cup for her.
SRC week celebrations, despite its importance have always been bedevilled with all kinds of controversies, chief among them being the scary embezzlement rumours that always follow the celebrations. We have however never had the will-power to probe into those allegations to get the right things done. One thing that however raises eyebrows about the SRC WEEK CELEBRATIONS this year is that, it was not celebrated in first semester, as is normally done.
SRC WEEK CELEBRATIONS not carried out in first semester is not necessarily the news. What bothers my troublesome mind a lot is the logic in celebrating it in this particular period. It is an undeniable fact that the halls of residence and the colleges are what form up the SRC. It is also well known that second semester is fully packed with activities of almost all student groups on campus. We have five hall week celebrations on campus which can even take up the whole entertainment calendar. Colleges, faculties, departments and old school associations have all slated their programmes for the second semester.
In the university, we are taught to critically analyse situations, get the pros and cons, and put into action something that will really be of immense benefit. The questions I ask are: did the SRC take into consideration the packed up calendar for second semester? Is it compulsory to celebrate SRC Week at all cost? Is it a forum for someone or some people to recoup what they invested some time ago? Is there any logic in having SRC week in a period where we have six whole weeks of hall celebrations? Why should SRC week be celebrated in the same week that INDEPENDENCE HALL is having their hall week? Are they not part of the SRC? What crime have they committed to be given such a raw deal?
As a matter of fact, this particular SRC week celebrations should have been scraped off. Money being pumped into it could have been put into other worthwhile related projects. Unless those in charge do not want to do any critical thinking. It is so irrational for SRC week celebrations to run concurrently with a hall week celebration. I will pardon those in charge if they do not necessarily know the purpose behind SRC week celebrations. Is it not just a matter of collaborating with the various halls?
Another group that must bow its head in shame for its lack of decisions is the SRC Parliamentary council. I am very sure this issue popped up in the ‘very vibrant’ yet sleeping parliamentary council that we have. If the representatives of the halls on campus were united and bold, they should have withdrawn their cadets’ corps from the celebration or even block the whole celebrations, knowing evidently well that one of them was going to be used as a sacrificial lamb. Was it a decision they all supported? Did they really think through it before it was endorsed or the decision was just bulldozed through without their approval?
If one wants to go into the details of the irrelevance of this particular SRC WEEK CELEBRATIONS, it would be a never ending story. However, let us not just throw our hands into the air and repeat the cliche that, the harm has already been caused. Let aspiring student leaders take cue from such illogical and unpardonable mistakes. The personal glory agenda will not help students and the society as a whole. Let’s make it a point to be generational thinkers rather than seekers of unnecessary glory. The SRC should also make sure they come out with the true accounts of what was used for what during the celebrations. Checks have already been made and the eyes and ears of students of our noble institution are waiting patiently.
COURAGE AHIATI
POLITICS IV
courageislove@gmail.com
