SRC gives ultimatum to hostel management to reduce charges or ...
The Students’ Representative Council (SRC) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has given owners of private hostel facilties outside campus a 10-day ultimatum to review their prices (downwards), else it will be compelled to demonstrate against them.
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Subsequently, it has asked all students not to make any payment until the 'unfair and unjustifiable' increase in prices is addressed.
At an emotionally-charged press conference last Friday at the Great Hall of the university, the President of the SRC, Caleb Fugah, told the media that the demonstration was an option still being considered if students’ demands were not met by the March 20, 2014 deadline.
The students have also petitioned the Chancellor of the university, Otumfour Osei Tutu II, to intervene while asking the government to provide a specialised regulatory body to solely regulate the activities of hostels and create tax exemptions for them since any imposition of taxes on them might be passed on to students.
“Indeed, the SRC considers the unilateral increase by the Hostel Management Association at the West End Hostel without recourse to the student leadership as a breach of trust following a February 5, 2014, agreement reached by the two bodies,” the SRC said.
They were reported to have agreed among other things that a class 'A ' hostel with a generator, DSTV, security, inside bathroom, water, electricity and tiles for four persons in a room should range between GH¢600 and GH¢900 while class 'B' with the same number of people should cost between GH¢600 and GH¢750.
Mr Fugah said a recent exercise undertaken in conjunction with the Ghana Tourist Authority and other relevant agencies revealed that 99 per cent of the hostels fell under category ‘B’ and, therefore, must not charge beyond GH¢750 for four students in a room, GH¢900 for three in a room and GH¢1,200 for two in a room.
According to the SRC president, information reaching the council last week indicated that the hostels were charging GH¢1,900 for two in a room which they considered outrageous.
But the hostel management claims the recent increase in licence charges by tourist authorities, increase in property tax and increase in revenue taxes are the contributing factors for the price hike.
However, the SRC president said hostels in Kumasi Polytechnic and the University of Education, Kumasi campus also paid the same charges yet their prices were very moderate.
He said the hostels were only exploiting students of the KNUST, knowing that about 70 per cent of them lived in such hostels.
Mr Fugah also called for the abolition of third parties or agents in securing such facilities since they only impoverished students.
He also appealed to the university authorities to include the issue of accommodation in their drawn 10-year strategic plan.