Accommodation crises in several universities in the country has been a teething problem to students as it leaves most of them stranded and unattended to, making it difficult to have sound minds for academic activities.
Speaking in an interview with Berla Mundi on TV3 New Day on TV3 Wednesday January 12, some student leaders at the University of Ghana revealed that some freshers and continuing students who happen to be victims of the accommodation crises on campus have opted to defer their courses for a year to save them the struggle of getting rooms on campus.
“We have students who even want to defer their courses due to the accommodation cruses on campus.”
They further revealed that freshers and continuing students who are unable to access accommodation explained that they lack the financial capacity to rent rooms outside prices as well as unable to afford to commute to campus daily for lectures and other academic activities.
Acting SRC President, Naadu Antwi said the student leadership has made conscious efforts to help solve the issue but to no avail.
She further stated that “What I did with my team was, I instructed them to go to places around like Okponglo, Shiashie, Bawuleshie, Mariana, UPSA and look for hostels that are close and also negotiate with owners to reduce prices to accommodate students for the meantime while we try solve the accommodation crises on campus.”
She said despite the negotiations with owners of hostels outside campus, prices were still exorbitant and most students could not afford.
“We came to a subsidized fee but it’s still more expensive than the hostels we have on campus. There were still students who could not afford.”
“I had a lot of students calling me here and there, telling me about the problems they facing with regards to accommodation. This is something that is beyond the SRC. We cannot do much about it,” she reiterated.
Members of the student leadership called on government to facilitate the building of the University if Ghana SRC hostel to accommodate more students and help solve the persistent accommodation crises on campus.
—3news.com
