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| Rt Hon. Emmanuel G. Ansah Speaker of Parliament - UMaT SRC |
The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Parliament sitting on 23rd March 2025 was also tense, as it was over a budget for student activities that sparked a hot argument. The 4:30 PM session, which continued late into the morning hours, saw intense disagreements on some major allocations, particularly the Freshers' Akwaaba Night and Faculty Tutorials
One of the dispute points was the decision to remove the SRC Freshers' Akwaaba Night from the budget. Front runners for its removal were Nkwanehia Bernard (KT Hall Rep) and Dankwah Sylvester Appiah (GESA President), amongst others.
Why? The halls, departments, and certain churches had also organized their own Freshers' Akwaaba, and thus, the SRC's event was deemed unnecessary.
Another major controversy was the cutting off of NUGS Tutorials and all faculty tutorials from the budget. This move was supported by Majority Leader Dankwah Sylvester Appiah, Addae Jeffery (ELEESA President), and other Majority bench members, who aggressively pushed for motions to reduce funding from these study support programs.
Despite the heated arguments, the budget was eventually approved by the House pending corrections. The total budgetary allocation for student activities is GHC 636,708.60. Surprisingly, this is significantly lower than the first-semester budget of last year, which exceeded the current amount by over GHC 240,000. Addressing this reduction, Kelvin Caesar Maasole, the SRC Financial Treasurer, stated:
"Our analysis reveals that the total budget for the first semester of the previous year exceeded ours by a substantial margin of over GH₵ 260,000. This notable difference underscores our administration's unwavering commitment to fiscal responsibility and financial management."
He further emphasized a notable change to the SRC Dinner Night, saying:
"The SRC has done well by changing the dinner night to a two-day massive celebration."
With the budget approved but controversies still looming, students and stakeholders will keenly observe how these changes impact campus life. Will the abolishment of the SRC Freshers' Akwaaba Night affect student turnout?
As the semester unfolds, students are left wondering—did the SRC make the right call, or will these budget cuts come at a cost?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
