Student protest at Tamale Technical University turns violent, several injured

What began as a peaceful protest at Tamale Technical University (TaTU) on Monday ended in chaos, leaving several students injured after clashes with the police.

The demonstration, led by the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and the Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), was aimed at demanding improved campus facilities and the release of delayed funds. However, the protest turned violent when police intervened, sparking confrontations that sent many students to nearby health centres for treatment.

Students at Tamale Technical University say they were only highlighting their frustration over poor lecture halls, deteriorating hostel facilities, and delays in disbursing student levies when the situation spiralled out of control.

According to Musa Mahmudu, Associate PRO of the student front, the protest had been carefully planned to bring attention to longstanding challenges on campus. “This is a university, not a primary school. For years, we have been paying fees with levies for development, sanitation, exams, and medicals, but there’s nothing to show for it. Lecture halls are unbearable, hostels look abandoned, yet students pay GH¢1,200 plus additional dues,” he lamented.

The student leaders also accused management of withholding SRC funds, which they said had crippled essential activities such as student elections and the annual SRC Week celebration. “As it stands now, we don’t even have money to run elections or pay off some of our teachers,” Mahmudu added.

The situation escalated when police officers moved in to disperse the demonstrators. Students alleged that officers charged at them without provocation, sparking violent clashes that led to injuries. Several students were rushed to hospital for medical care.

Protest leaders emphasised that they had engaged management several times before taking to the streets. Their petition to the Minister of Education demands urgent infrastructure upgrades, accountability in the use of student levies, and the immediate release of withheld SRC funds.