At the first sitting of the second session of the 7th parliament of KNUST Students Parliament held on the 2nd of February 2014 at Africa Hall JCR, the following were made.
ACCOMMODATION CHALLENGES STUDENTS FACE – THE WAY FORWARD
Accommodation challenges in KNUST have been an annual ritual, yet the SRC and other stakeholders of the university do not pay attention to it, let alone to think of solutions to this problem.
It is just not appropriate that hostel and ‘homestel’ managers and manageresses would increase their hostel prices in their quest to meet the demand and supply curve.
Not only do they increase the hostel prices, they also give unreasonable ultimatums for the payment of such hiked amount. Appreciating that hostel managers are private businessmen whose main interest is to gain profit, the human face of capitalism should be brought to bear referencing that students are the victims. Moreover, such attempt of ultimatums is unethical.
Hostel managers who promise of giving specific facilities and services such as standby generator, study room, security do not even attempt fulfilling their promises and service to the discomfort of the students who at the end have no voice.
THE WAY FORWARD
SRC:
The SRC as a matter of urgency should set a committee with the Ghana tourist board and other stakeholders to control hostel and ‘homestel’ pricing based on their facilities and proximity.
The SRC should pass an order to hostel mangers and manageresses that would make them give tenancy agreement of a sort to students stating the kind of service and facility they would give them.
THE UNIVERSITY
University authorities should call for a meeting among hostel managers, the SRC and other stakeholders to define a classic charge to hostels based on their facilities and provision of services.
The university should serve as a check on the hostels not to charge exorbitantly and to ensure that hostel managers and manageresses provide good services to the students.
On a long term, the university should collaborate with corporate bodies and businessmen to build hostels on campus, go into joint operation for some time and hand it over to the university to add up to the traditional halls.
