Alma mater under attack
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Is it an open season for attacking Amanfoo and the College?
Not infrequently, certain circumstances force a large crowd to rush into our site
at a specific time to follow proceedings in the Prempeh world and our opinion on certain issues.
Yesterday proved a classic example of a day that thousands rushed in to read
about a possible response to a news article.
Political foes of President Kufuor, who have been spoofing him in the press recently, have now turned
their attention to lampooning his alma mater.
The Chronicle yesterday published an article entitled "Prempeh College
beats KNUST," in which they reported that Prempeh boys ranked the highest among boys
who patronised prostitution in Adum, a part of the Kumasi center city.
The article could have more appropriately been entitled "Prostitution & the Ghanaian
School Boy" or "A Survey of Students that Patronise Prostitution in Kumasi." But they rather chose "Prempeh College"
to be in the headline.
Here quite clearly there is in operation special ill-will towards the alma mater
because of the ridiculousness of the report and the way the survey was conducted.
The report, which claims Prempeh boys visited prostitutes the most, had no
scientific basis: The sample size (of schools)
was so small to be considered significant because only 7 schools were mentioned
in the whole article. Besides, there was no accurate way of detecting what schools
the boys were actually affiliated with (since
the customers/clients were not required to produce school ID cards for the sex
services).
Furthermore, no under-cover journalist or investigator
actually followed the clients back to the campus of the purported schools. The
survey is purely based on identification via school uniforms and recollections of the
highly credible prostitutes, who amazingly recorded clients' school information in the
heat of their trade. How could prostitutes be such incredible statisticians! What unanimity
in agreeing that these prostitutes be allowed to take over the government's statistical
service!
Why would Prempeh boys visit prostitutes in their green shirts when they could
have wore coloured street clothers?
All this we could have borne. But not the way in which
this paper failed to follow the boys to catch them in the act or at least
interview a few to see what they were doing there.
Fortunately, Ghanaweb treated the article with the contempt it deserved by consigning
it to "The Tabloids" section of their website. But that did not spare us the
derision from our detractors and those who seek our doom.
To those who are ecstatic about this rubbish, this silly article will not in anyway dent
the Kings College's preeminent position in all endeavours.
This, however, is not to imply that we condone prostitution. Unlike other schools, Prempeh actually
has a track record of condemning our own when they step out of line; a classic example is the cases of the two Atiemos.
Are Amanfoo under assault?
Last year, we brought you a dossier on the crisis at the University of Ghana, which is headed by
Dr. Asenso-Okyere. Most of the leakages of examination questions at the University was
traced to Asenso-Okyere's son. The University don, whose 4-year term is due to
expire in October 2006, was asked to take a leave while
investigations were conducted.
After the investigations were completed, several university officials who colluded with students
were expelled and the Vice-Chancellor appeared to have emerged unscathed.
However, instead of letting him come back to complete the remaining 7-8 months of his term, the university
went ahead and appointed a new Vice-Chancellor at this very moment, to take over the administration
of the University when it is not even Octoberr yet. Unless the University knows something beyond
our ken, this is not justice. The man deserves to walk back into his office and complete his last few months
as Chief Administrative Officer of the University if he's not been found guilty of any malfeasance.
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