UG freshers frustrated over accommodation issues
Many fresh students who have been offered admission to study at the University of Ghana, Legon are still stranded due to difficulty in accessing accommodation.
Nearly two weeks since school reopened, the situation has led both parents and students frustrated as they search for accommodation at hostels on campus or nearby to have the fresh students participate actively in the currently ongoing orientation process.
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This year, the university has admitted 16,000 freshmen but with bed spaces to accommodate only 6,000 students, those unable to secure accommodation have to find other available alternatives.
At the Commonwealth, Akuafo and Legon halls of the university this week, scores of students and parents with their luggages waited in queues to secure available rooms.
Portal
A number of affected students and parents, seemingly left stranded at the various halls, explained that the system for securing accommodation through the portal system, as instructed by the authorities, did not work, and that it was difficult to register for the rooms online.
And when they made efforts to go through the process manually, the parents and students said they were told that the rooms were fully occupied.
A Human Resource student, Baba Rahman, said even though he had gone through all the processes, he was still unable to get a room for the past week, which made it difficult for him to go for his orientation.
“Coming from as far as Sefwi Wiawso, if I do not get a room by the close of the week, I will have no choice but to stop the school and apply next year because I cannot afford a hostel,” he lamented.
A parent, Mary Baidoo, explained that with her ward unable to access the portal to register for a room, they had been going back and forth with their belongings for the past week with the hope of getting a bed space, but to no avail.
“Looking at the way things are going, I need to painfully dip my hand into my pocket and find a private hostel which currently costs not less than Gh¢7,000 in this current economy,” she said.
She called on the management of the university to step up in working on the online portal for registration to ensure a smooth allocation of rooms for fresh students.
“We are being told there is an injunction on the registration process in this hall, so we are waiting to hear from the school authorities. If not, I will have to come from my home at Kasoa for lectures every day,” a Business Administration fresher, Michael Mensah, told the Daily Graphic at the Commonwealth Hall.
A Biological Science student, Sarah Adjei, said with the current accommodation issues, she had psyched herself to come from home to avoid the stress that came with it.
Observations
At the Akuafo and Commonwealth halls, suitcases were lined up in front of the building as students desperately sought for accommodation.
Unfortunately, a number of them were still unable to secure a room for themselves.
However, at the Legon Hall, fewer people could be seen at the entrance of the building seeking for accommodation.
Management has assured that everything possible was being done to remedy the situation, but that there were some unfortunate challenges such as inadequate financial resources.
UPSA
At the University of Professional Studies, Accra, there were a few students on campus completing the registration process to enable them start lectures in the coming week.
A Business Administration student, Felix Mensah, stated that he had faced no difficulty in completing his registration.
“The whole process, I must confess, has been smooth for me because most people are done with their registration, so we do not have to wait in line. The process is stress-free. It will only be difficult if you did not bring the necessary documents,” he said.
Marina Boateng, a Banking and Finance student who was getting her courses registered, said she had faced no challenges, and was only on campus to finalise her courses to get ready for active lectures on Monday.