NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION 

MINUTES OF THE EMERGENCY MEETING OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR HIGHER EDUCATION HELD IN MEETING ROOM 4, BAY 1, FIRST FLOOR OF THE STATE HOUSE ON TUESDAY, 9TH MAY, 1978 AT 3.P.M. 

PRESENT: 
Mr. C.M.O. Mate-  Chairman. 
Mr. K.B. Ayensu – Member 
Professor D.A. Bekoe – Member 
Professor E. Bamfo-Kwakye – Member
Professor J. Yanney-Ewusie Member 
Professor D.A. Akyeampong – Member 
Rev. Professor C.G. Baeta – Member 
Mr. A. Kwame Pianim – Member 
Mr. G. Adali-Mortty – Member 
Professor P. Austin Tetteh  – Member 
Professor S. Sey – Member 
Mrs. Mary Chinery-Hesse – Member 
Mr. G.K. Hagan Member – Member 
Professor A.N. Tackie – Member 
Mr. S.E. Quarm – Representing Mr.S.E. Arthur (Senior Principal Secretary, Ministry of Education)

IN ATTENDANCE: 
Mr. J.B. Lomotey – Secretary 
Mr. C.K. Gbeho – Deputy Secretary 
Mr. H. Kotey – Asst. Secretary 
Mr. E.P. Adofo Asst. Secretary 

ABSENT: 
Professor E.A. Boateng – (with apologies) 
H.E. Mr. Joe Appiah 
Professor K. Asiedu-Akrofi 

OPENING: 
The Chairman declared the meeting open at 3.25 p.m. after which a prayer was offered by Rev. Professor Baeta. 

Giving reasons for convening the Emergency Meeting, the Chairman explained that it had become necessary for him to assemble members as a result of developments in the three Universities since the Council’s last meeting. He then read out a written statement on the state of affairs in the Universities which had culminated in the temporary closure of the University of Ghana on Saturday, 6th May, 1978 and the imminent closure of the other two Universities. (A copy of the Chairman’s Statement is attached as Appendix ‘A’)

In the discussion which followed, a number of observations were made by members on the various points in the Chairman’s statement.

(a) Searches by the Police at the University of Cape Coast:
Members were unhappy about the fact that, despite the assurances given by the Inspector-General of Police that there would be no police presence on any University campus without  invitation from the University authorities or in consultation with them, the police had searched three senior members of the University of Cape Coast without prior knowledge of the University authorities. Members were, however, informed that, at the meeting between the University authorities and the Head of State at which the Chairman and Secretary of the National Council for Higher Education had been were present, the Head of State had been  informed of the searches carried out by the police at the University of Cape Coast and he expressed his regret at  the incident. He also promised to ensure that such an incident would not recur. 

(b) Meeting with the Head of State: 
Referring to the meeting that the delegation from the joint University Councils and the Chairman and Secretary to the National Council for Higher Education had had with the Head of State, members asked whether there were any Minutes. They observed that only what the Head of State was supposed to have said was reported in the newspapers. As it was later confirmed that no record of the meeting had been was prepared in the Office of the Supreme Military Council, it was suggested that the Secretary to the National Council for Higher Education should forward to the Secretary to the Supreme Military Council a copy of the notes he took at the meeting for the the latter’s confirmation. In/view of members, the National Council would have had a more meaningful discussion if the Minutes of the meeting with the Head of State were available to them. 

Although had members given were informed that, at the meeting with him, the Head of State had given the assurance that those members of the University community still in hiding would not be arrested if they returned to campus and that this assurance was re-affirmed when the Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast was formally introduced to the Head of State, they pointed out that, since none of these assurances would be had set been by confirmed those in writing, they did not think that much store could be set by those assurances at this stage. 

(c) Proposals for the return of the Universities to normal academic work: 

i. University of Ghana: 
The Vice-Chancellor of the University said that the Academic Board had decided on the temporary closure of his University as there was virtually no teaching activity in the University. To continue keeping the students in residence would involve an unnecessarily huge expenditure of public funds. The [Vice Chancellor continued by saying that]  Academic Board would meet the following day and consider whether to decide on a total write-off of the 1977/78 academic year or to re-schedule the outstanding work of the session in such a way as to complete it and make fresh admissions some time during 1978/79. He conceded, however, that the possibility of implementing the decision to be taken by the Academic Board on the matter would depend, in a large measure, on the attitude of the academic staff and students to the political situation in the country at the time. 

ii. University of Science and Technology of Science and Technology 
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Science and Technology distributed at the meeting a document setting out the chronology of events at his University since Saturday, 15th April, 1978 when the students returned to campus to begin the third term. He then informed members that the Academic Board had decided to close the University on Wednesday, 10th May, for the long vacation so that certain students could embark on their normal vacation training. It was arranged that the vacation training should last for eight weeks up to the second-half of July, when the University would reopen for a long session with examinations beginning in October/November. It was hoped that this arrangement would not disrupt the 1978/79 session as the University was going on to a semester system which, if the proposed re-scheduling went through, would start in January, 1979. 

iii. University of Cape Coast: of Cape Coast 
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast said that, at its meeting on Monday, 8th May, the Convocation of the University decided that the University should be temporarily closed because of the prolonged disruption of academic work. The University would be on vacation from 10th May to 30th June, 1978, after which there would be a long session of 14 weeks from early July to mid-October, when examinations would end. The 1978/79 academic year would then begin late in November. The Vice-Chancellor said that, if conditions permitted the carrying out of the re-scheduled programme, the situation would be similar to what happened in the 1976/77 academic year. 

(d) Resumption of normal academic work in the Universities: 
After some discussion, it was generally agreed that the National Council for Higher Education should find ways and means of letting the Universities resume their teaching programme since it was understood that research and other non-teaching activities were being performed. Various suggestions on the role that the Council should play were made. It was finally agreed that, before the Council could make meaningful recommendations and approaches to the appropriate quarters, it should have a first hand knowledge of all the relevant facts including the minimum conditions that all the interested parties would like to see satisfied to enable full academic work to be resumed at the Universities.

The meeting, consequently, decided to appoint a Sub-Committee comprising 

Professor C.G. Baeta – Chairman 
Mr. A. Kwane Pianin – Member

and Mr. J.B. Lomotey – Member/Secretary 
to collect as much information as possible from all the parties concerned and make appropriate recommendations to the Council. It was also decided that the Sub-Committee should report to the Council at an Emergency Meeting to be held on Thursday, 1st June, 1978 at 3 p.m. 

CLOSING: 

The meeting was closed at 6.20 p.m. after a prayer was said by Rev. Professor Baeta. 

Minutes Confirmed: 
(C.M.O. Mate) 
CHAIRMAN    

J.B. Lomotey 
SECRETARY

Read More

• 1971 Meeting Minutes – Student Unrest At Legon
• Extract From The Minutes Of A Meeting Of The National Liberation Council held on The 5Th April, 1966
• Extract from The Minutes Of A Meeting Of The National liberation Council held On The 22ND March, 1966
• Minutes Of The Meeting Held On Friday, 9th June, 1978