Kofi Annan heckled in Ghana

  1. Posted on Wednesday 24 March 2010 - 16:48
    Dolphyne
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    Joseph Appiah-Dolphyne, AfricaNews editor in Accra, Ghana
    Some students of the University of Ghana are alleged to have heckled the former UN boss, Kofi Annan, during their last graduation ceremony on the university's campus. Students from the Commonwealth Hall heckled and chanted songs in the face of Kofi Annan who is also the Chancellor of the University.
    kofi annan
    Other parents and guests of gradaunds also suffered a similar ordeal from the Commonwealth Hall students.

    Authorities of the University have therefore launched an investigation into the matter to bring the culprits to book. They say the students’ behaviour tarnished the image of the university and those found to have done so will be punished appropriately.

    The Acting Director of Public Affairs at the university, Stella Amoah, said they are humiliated by the occurrence and will punish all those found to have taken part, Joy Fm, a local radio station reported.

    “We have had a lot of student misbehaviour in the past. Sometimes it is considered as frivolous or even out of mischief but not this one. This time, they carried their acts too far and caused a great deal of embarrassment to the motto of the university. The students came out in a very shamelessly bold attitude in the full glare of the Chancellor, His Excellency Kofi Annan to disgrace the university,” she said.

    “Investigations are going to be carried out and once we find who the culprits are, the university will deal with them in the way that [follows our disciplinary processes].”

    The University of Ghana which prides itself as Ghana’s premier tertiary institution has, over the years, had to deal with several cases of misbehaviour by students.
    Cases of examination malpractices have been handled swiftly and the university has vowed to tackle the latest incident with the same approach.

    Perhaps the Commonwealth Hall students, also known as the Vandals, have the university’s biggest headache in its exercise of discipline. The mainly men hall of residence has a shrine which a few rowdy students chant war songs at.

    The songs, a mainly their own rendition of popular gospel songs, are sung amid loud claps and feat thumps.

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