The Student Representative Council of the University of Cape Coast has begun its diasporan tour and diaspora town meeting initiative as part of its bid to promote inclusive governance.
The initiative is to provide a platform for students who live in the diaspora to share their grievances and concerns with the SRC as they engage them at their doorsteps.
Stressing the need to undertake such a project to ATL FM NEWS, the SRC President, Samuel Kwabena Adotei explained that the SRC Diaspora tour and Diaspora town meeting is an initiative that the administration has considered to be prudent due to the Diasporan having the thought that “no one is concerned about them”
“We came up with this initiative because we have a feeling and we have sensed that the Diasporan feel they have been left to their fate in the diaspora and anything that they do does not really concern the SRC neither does it concern even the University at large,” he said.
He stated that the Diaspora town hall meeting is to bridge that misconception and meet with them to have discussions.
“It shouldn’t always be the case that we always call them from the Diaspora to come and meet at an auditorium where we have meetings here and there. And one thing we have realized is that because we don’t go to them, their numbers during programs have gradually depreciated so we want to do this thing so that we can psych them, let them know that there are relevant,” he noted.
On the issue of students being asked to pay extra for staying on campus while there are no academic activities coupled with increment of hostel fees which is a source of worry for continuing students, the SRC president said engaging the level hundred students to psych them up about accommodation issues in the diaspora can also go a long way to deal with this problem.
During an information-sharing session, some students stated that the initiative being adopted by the current SRC is in the right direction but were quick to add that the initiative should not be just a talk shop.
“Generally I’ll say it’s a good initiative because I think it the first of its kind. And there is a funny comment that a friend of mine used to make that “talk is air” directly translated as “KASA Y3 MFRAMA”. So I think it is prudent that whatever has been discussed here is going to be put into action because the mere saying and then passing resolutions on it won’t mean that it has been done,” a student stated.
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Source: Rosemond Asmah/ATLFMNEWS