Dr. Yaw Osei Adutwum, NPP flagbearer hopeful and MP for Bosomtwe, has recalled his days as a university student under Jerry John Rawlings’ military regime, describing the period as one of fear and silence.
In an interview on JoyNews’ Personality Profile, the former Education Minister said the era of PNDC rule (1981–1992) was marked by intolerance for dissent. “People could not talk because you may be picked up the next day,” he noted.
He explained that in this climate of repression, university students became the loudest voice against the government.
With only three universities at the time—Legon, Cape Coast, and UST (now KNUST)—the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) led nationwide demonstrations, not for student welfare, but to demand a return to civilian rule.
One major turning point, he said, was government’s decision to replace fully-funded education with student loans.
Until then, students enjoyed free meals, housing, and other benefits. The move sparked mass protests that shut down all universities.
Dr. Adutwum also shared a striking moment from UST: when the SRC president secretly apologised to Rawlings through the Asantehene to secure students’ return.
Seen as a betrayal, the act led to his impeachment—proof, Adutwum stressed, of students’ unwavering resolve to resist authoritarianism.
