An Accra High Court has ordered the University of Ghana’s administration not to revoke the residential status of continuing students in both Commonwealth and Mensah Sarbah halls.
The court issued this decision after some disgruntled students filed an interlocutory injunction on January 6, 2023.
Due to a violent altercation between the two parties on August 15, 2022, the university’s administration issued an order intending to remove all continuing male students from the halls.
According to UG administration, the directive was implemented as a disciplinary measure after fights between students from the two halls resulted in the destruction of John Mensah Sarbah’s statue, which was located in the Mensah Sarbah hall.
According to the administration’s announcement to university members, beginning with the 2022/2023 academic year, “Level 100 and graduate students (Masters and PhD level) will be assigned to Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls.”
“All continuing students of Commonwealth hall and continuing male students of Mensah Sarbah hall will not return to these halls, or to any of the traditional halls. They are to be randomly assigned to available rooms in any of the UGEL and private hostel,” the directive added.
However, according to the court’s decision from January 6, the current residential arrangement of students must be maintained as it was prior to UG’s directive on October 26, 2022.
“It is hereby ordered that the Defendant herein is hereby restrained either by itself or its officers, assigns, privies, agents, workmen or anybody working under the Defendant’s instructions from going ahead to implement the decision of the Defendant, dated 26th October 2022 in respect of the residential policy decision affecting continuing students of Commonwealth Hall, University of Ghana,” the court ruled.
