Let Us Thrive Based on Ideologies
The word University etymologically drives its meaning from the Latin words ” universitas magistrorum et scholarium, which roughly means “community of teachers and scholars’’. This set up has over the years been the known avenue for grooming scholars of all kind in diverse areas of specialty. The University system has been designed in a way that students are further divided into various ‘’Halls of Residence’’ usually with each hall having a special name making it different from others.
It is usually a prestige that as future scholars and leaders we take desire to uphold our various halls of residence because it is regarded as one of the basic form of identification which shows that you were once in a said University. For instance, Former President Mahama will always mention to you through his speeches that he was a Vandal.
However, regarding the immense importance of knowing the University Hall you are affiliated to and upholding to its principles and ideologies through numerous activities like Debates and Quiz challenges and the like, the crop University students off late are nonchalant about this all important set up.
Largely basing my criticism on the University for Development Studies Wa campus of which I belong, it is pathetic to know that some students complete the University without knowing the various halls they were affiliated to. It is right that the University halls are incapacitated by size to admit large numbers of the total population, this renders over seventy percent 70% of the student population seek accommodation in private hostels, that should not be a stumbling block of preventing you from knowing your various halls of affiliation.
Unbelievable Interviews
Wa campus is the youngest of The University for Development Studies with five(5) halls,
- Royal Hall
- Cardinal Dery Hall
- Limann Hall
- Jubilee Hall
- And Upper West Hall
These names were not chosen unguided but methodically chosen with each name representing either a great personality or a cause. #History would be provided in next write up#
Maybe you might have some knowledge about why those names but believe me you, through my personal inquiry from some residence in the above University Halls I got to find out that, they are just simply seeking shelter in a building but as ‘’University Scholars’’ knows absolutely nothing about how those halls were named.
Note : I choose to make my correspondence anonymous because this could subject them under public ridicule…
Royal Hall Member
Me; hello
Respondent; Sup Mulumba how are you?
Me; Am doing well, so tell me why do think they named this hall ‘’Royal’’
Respondent; me I don’t know ooooo that’s a ‘’nonfa’’ question.
Cardinal Dery Hall
Me; bro are you in this hall?
Respondent; Yes……. But why ask any problem?
Me; Please I just want to know why this hall was named Cardinal Dery?
Respondent; Sounding Knowledgeable chaley this hall is the cardinal point of all other halls we are simply the ‘’jomming’’ hall.
Jubilee Hall Member
Me; Hi Pretty how are u?
Respondent; Am doing well wbu?
Me; Am fine oooo dear
Respondent; WTG
Me; Jubilee Hall what a nice name so tell me why Jubilee? How did the name come about?
Respondent; Dear I know nothing about this hall oooo me sef next year I will be leaving to Bamahu where I can have my privacy this place is soo annoying.
Upper West Hall Member
Me; Yoooo fine boy sup?
Respondent; Taller adey feel your height ‘’watsup’’
Me; Cool tins ooooo bro, u dey this hall?
Respondent; yh yh this be my hall #westsider#
Me; so how come they named it Upper West Hall?
Respondent; Chaley wey region we dey?
Me; Upper West Region.
Respondent; cool u answer yourself dat, we be the westsiders bro
What threw me aback most was my interaction with some members of the Limann Hall (Hilla Limann a whole former president of The Republic of Ghana)
Limann Hall Member
Me; Yoo bro sup?
Respondent; cool tins ooo how your side?
Me; Not bad we dey, so bro what do you know about Limann, your hall name?
Respondent; Chaley me I plete all my school for south ooo ebi university wey carry me here so I no no anything about Northern names we naa dey the hall inners da bi all.
Reader What Do You Know About Your Hall? Lets get interactive on facebook @Mulumba Songsore, On Twitter@Ngmenlabagna and on Instagram@songsore.mulumba
The above responses calls for alarm, if people who are resident in the halls can give pitiful answers such as the above, I wonder what beholds the larger population of students who are resident outside the school halls, it surprises me not that some students of the University don’t even know or cant just differentiate between the various halls on campus. What crop of students are the various Universities producing if shocking revelations like that persist in Tertiary institutions in Ghana?
Remarks
As earlier on stated it is a pity that the most crop of University students are just clueless of systems that are put in place by school authorities to achieve a desired outcome usually to the benefit of the student populace, we are not inquisitive to ask and know about how why things are done the way they are. And I think as young Undergraduates it is a move in the wrong direction and hence suck awkward practices should be abhorred.
We are classic historians about Black Out movements on campus and clubs, Excellent party promoters and Experts in current trends of fashion.
Who is to Blame?
(On the part of Students)
In the case of UDS Wa campus I largely put the blame on students and their Representative Councils. Over the years it has not always been a priority among student leaders to methodically design policies and systems that will merit the demands of the outside world from an Undergraduate, SRC weeks celebrations have been over the years characterized by unnecessary programs of which huge sums of monies are spent on Artists to come and perform, this move I totally don’t condemn because it relives tension off students and hey! ‘’All work and no play they say, makes Jack a dull boy, right? Yes but activities designed for special weeks celebrations have always been monotonous, just largely fun. Student leaders should think to a broader scope to involve seminars and debates about issues that will educate Us. We should also be inquisitive to ask and know more about your school.
(On the Part of School Authorities)
The school authorities also have their share of blame in this matter. Over the years school authorities have not been consistent in making public the list of students and their rightful halls they are affiliated to. This move denies those who were not privileged to secure accommodation with the school’s Traditional Hostels. Authorities should not only be focused on Academic issues of which they are best in thus Rustication, Repeating and always on time to publish names of students who went contrary to examinations malpractices to face the disciplinary committee, they should take interest in making important notices like that known to us.
Recommendation
This issue should be of grave concern to the School and Student Authority, I entreat them to come together and ensure that students are served with why the various University Halls are named the way they are and to ensure that notices of Our halls of affiliation are made known to us either on our admission letter or through other appropriate means.
Writer
Songsore Ngmenlabagna Mulumba is a student writer and an activist in The University for Development Studies Wa campus
Email: songsore.mulumba@yahoo.com
