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KNUST sued over decision to convert Unity hall into mixed hall

The alumni teamed up with Old Continentals Association and current Junior Common Room Executives, to seek a court order to restrain the University from going ahead with plans of the conversion.

They have, therefore, dragged Vice Chancellor, Prof. Obiri Danso – who serves as Chairman of the University Council and Hall master of Unity Hall – to court.

The alumni and hall executives opted to head to court after school authorities announced in January plans to convert Unity Hall and University Hall, popularly known as Katanga, into mixed halls.

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Some alumni petitioned the government earlier this year over the matter, whiles some students of the two all-male halls also protested in February against the decision.

According to the students, if the conversion is done, it will wipe away a long-standing tradition of the two halls, which must be guarded.

However, school authorities brushed aside the protests and went ahead to allocate nine continuing female students to the Katanga Hall in the first batch of students assigned residential status.

This has now led to alumni and executives of the aforementioned halls to seek legal action to restrain the University from converting the all-male halls into mixed halls.

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Standing on the law and regulation that established the Hall in 1967, the groups are seeking the following reliefs:

"A declaration that Unity Hall and Africa Hall were established expressly as all-male and all-female hall of residence respectfully on KNUST campus under specific regulations and laws and stand on the same harizon to enjoy the same classic reasoning for their establishment.

"A declaration that Unity Hall , just like -Africa Hall, was envisaged by the University's forebearers for a Continental remembrance, hence, the full name of the hall being, 'Continental Unity Hall', and so its character and nature as an all-male hall of residence, must be left to stand as an all female hall of residence, as this entire vision adds to the uniqueness of the institution. And that seeking to alter the nature of only Unity Hall is discriminatory.

"A declaration that Unity Hall having been expressly so established under a specific regulation and law, the defendants or their successors cannot alter the character and nature of Unity Hall as an all-male hall, unless empowered to do same by a regulation and law.

"A perpetual injunction restraining the defendants or their successors from ever attempting to alter the character and nature of Unity Hall as an all-male hall to a mixed sex hall,"   and

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"Cost and any other order(s) this Honourable Court may deem fit".

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