POLITICIZATION AND POLARIZATION OF THE STUDENT FRONT

I strongly wish I didn’t comment on this matter but I found its necessity in the words of Martin Luther King Jnr. “that our lives begin to end the moment we become silent over things that matter”.

May I say that the very recent development in the various Students Unions and Movements make a very sad reflection and I wonder if these Unions are still relevant today?

It seems to me that these Unions have misplaced their focus as mass movements obliged to promote students’ welfare and offer a common platform for the discussion of issues affecting them. Obviously this misplaced focus is largely due to partisan politics and the parochial interest of the student leaders.

One of the effects of this politicization is the current divisions existing between the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) as well as the Ghana Union of Professional Students (GUPS). Some few weeks ago, each of the two factions in GUPS held their congresses concurrently in Kumasi and HO with both factions electing new executives. The mother body, NUGS, has also followed the same trend; two factions electing different set of executives for one union. “Seek for just one reason why this should be so and you will have all fingers pointing to dirty political interest among the executives”.

Truly, partisan politics has blinded Ghanaian student leaders so much that they can’t see themselves as one people having a common vision or even chart a middle route that could be followed in promoting the welfare of students. What they are able to do better and best is satisfying their political masters at the expense of the collective interest of students. In doing so, not only do they use every fair or foul means to ensure that students of their political groupings, who may not even be qualify, succeed them but also comprise on serious national issues relating thereby generating needless tension and confusion among students.

Interestingly, one of the factions in NUGS recently held its congress under the theme “State Interference and Politicization of students Front, the Stats quo, Its Ramification and The Way Forward.” Indeed, there couldn’t have been any better theme for their Congress given the prevailing impasse but it also gives credence to the assertion that NUGS has slaughtered its credibility and essence on the destructive altar of partisan politics. The strategic question now is “what should be the way forward?”

May I suggest that all the various factions should find a way of merging in order to have a united front. That way, we can map out strategies to curb the polarization of the student front whilst building a better NUGS, GUPS, USAG, GNUPS, GRASAG, RSRCS, TTAG, PUASG and others for a Better Ghana.

May I further suggest that no member institution of NUGS or GUPS should pay any dues to any of the factions.

By: NII-NOI ADUMUAH
former NUGS/GUPS PRESIDENT, GIJ