Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, are to enjoy a short break in their academic calendar to allow them to travel to their constituencies to vote in the December 7 elections. Authorities of the University of Ghana, Legon, and the University of Cape Coast (UCC) are also considering a break of about three days for the purpose of allowing students to exercise their franchise. At the time of voting on December 7, 2008, the three universities will be conducting their end-of-first-semester examinations, an exercise considered one of the most important activities on the academic calendar of those institutions. The University Relations Officer of KNUST, Mr Solomon Panford, said after deliberating on the matter, the Academic Board had decided that the university should go on recess on Friday; December 5, 2008 and resume on Monday, December 8, 2008 to allow students who would want to travel to participate in the elections to do so. Consequently, examination papers to be written on Monday, December 8, 2008 are to be rescheduled, while the end of the academic calendar itself would be extended from December 12 to 15 The Public Affairs Director of the UCC, Mr Jeff Onyame, said the university authorities were considering a proposal to break to allow students to travel outside campus to vote. He said the authorities were aware that some students who did not reside in Cape Coast might want to transfer their votes to campus to make it easier for them to exercise their franchise. However, he said for those who might want to travel to their constituencies to vote, the authorities were considering the approval of arrangements to allow them do so. To that end, it was not likely examinations would be conducted on Monday, December 8, 2008, he noted. Mr Onyame dispelled rumours that the university would end the semester in November, in view of the elections. He said the academic calendar would run as scheduled, ending on December 13,2008, but he was quick to add that if anything at all the calendar would rather be extended, possibly to December 15. The Public Affairs Director of the University of Ghana, Mrs Stella Amoah, said the university was also considering the proposition of a three-day recess, beginning December 6, 2008, to allow students travelling time to vote in the elections. She said upon the approval of that arrangement by the appropriate body, it was very likely the semester examinations would start earlier than usual, explaining that that would ensure that there was no extension of the academic calendar. Source: Daily Graphic