Tatu Students prevented from writing end of Semester Exams

The Tamale Technical University (TaTU) has prevented students numbering about 175 from writing their end of semester examination.

The students are on scholarships, without paying fees because they were admitted through the sports department of the school but have been left stranded in the school as the school authorities cancelled their scholarships unknowingly.

As if that was not enough, the students have been prevented by the management of the institution from writing their end of semester examination which started August 30, 2021, until they paid their fees in full.

The students have been left traumatized as some of them came from Accra, Kumasi and other parts of the country.

The affected victims are level hundred and two hundred students who are supposed to be writing their second-semester examination.

In the year 2020, Tamale Technical University (TaTU) organized a justification for the public to select sportsmen and women in soccer, tennis, volleyball, table tennis among others to form a team for the institution.

The institution selected about 175 sportsmen and women for admission and to represent the institution as sports students.

Snippets of information gathered reveals that such a process has been the norm of the institution every new academic year to rebuild the sports department but the new vice-chancellor after assuming office decided to cancel the scholarships for the said sports team.

The affected students were however informed about the new development only in the exams halls on August 30, 2021, when they were about to write the end of semester examination.

The affected students though are not happy about the development preventing them from writing the examination and are told that they could write if only they pay their fees in full.

Speaking to the media on the grounds of anonymity, they indicated that “some of us nearly fought with the invigilators because they were sacking us out of the exams hall and even those who were able to write their papers were collected and thrown into the dustbin”.

“Some of us come from Accra and we have rented rooms on campus and feeding ourselves so why is the school doing this to us, if not because of the scholarship some of us wouldn’t have come here in the first place so they should allow us to write the exams. We will come and pay later.”

According to them, they would not have applied to the institution but because of the offered scholarships hence their appeal to the Ministry of Education and other stakeholder organizations to come to their aid because their education is being truncated by the prompt development.

The aggrieved students have indicated that they would resolve in taking legal action against the school should TaTU authorities refuse to allow them to write their exams.

A source at the institution told the media that, a meeting was held and some staff of the school pleaded for the school to allow the students to write their exams and pay the fees in the next semester but management declined the request.

The Public Relations department of the Tamale Technical University (TaTU) have refused to comment on the issue but indicated that a statement will be issued.

Abdul Sammed Gurundari