EXORBITANT HOSTEL PRICES : IT'S ABOUT TIME
⚫ KNUST students are expected to hassle for hostel accommodation anytime the academic year is to end. Provision of private hostel facilities has become a lucrative venture which many landlords have ventured into the business without recourse to standard. It is not just appropriate that hostel / homestel managers and manageresses would increase their prices in their quest to meet the demand, and supply curve, without any renovation in these hostels. We have not been presented any compelling argument for why the menace is hard to cure in KNUST, anyway.
⚫ Not only do hostel owners increase their prices, they also give “unreasonable” ultimatum for the payment of such hiked amount. Every year, GUSS hostels management is the first to release their prices. In most cases, the fees will see some increment which students are not pleased. Over the years, the students rely on private accommodation outside campus. However, the few ones available on campus (GUSS hostels ) are charging steep amounts that most students see as a ripe off, especially when private hostels off -campus use the GUSS hostel charges as a standard for setting their charges.
🔴 The University has provided some facilities like bio-metric access gates in front of its traditional halls, in addition with WI-FI. GUSS hostels have been provided with similar facilities. Does this suggest the services provided to residents in these hostels are just similar to the traditional halls and for that matter its tag as a private hostels that result in its exorbitant charges, is questionable?
🔴 Some hostel Managers who promise of giving specific facilities and services do not even attempt fulfilling their promises and services to the discomfort of the students who at the end have no voice. We are bound by Duty to advocate on behalf of students.
🔴 Is the solution to end this menace about running to the Rent Control? Not really. We have come of age as University. The problem is structural one, and we need holistic long-term solution. We cannot be running to Rent control every time academic year is to come to an end. That will be an idea of providing short term solutions to structurally long-term problem.
🔵 Team ABC & NAZIR will advocate for the possibility of adding a representative from the student body as a board member of the GUSS hostel Board since the owners of GUSS hostel also have their representatives on the SRC hostel board. This will ensure that students are represented in the setting of charges. We intend to apply a part of the SRC budgetary allocation towards the cost of constructing the other phases of the SRC hostel in a bid to curb this situation. GUSS hostel management will be petitioned to consider creating more of the 4 in 1 room in its extension in the future to create room for more students.
🔵 I will advocate prices for hostels are set by a committee sets by the University to control hostel and homestel pricing based on their facilities and proximity. The committee would pass an order to hostel managers and manageresses that would make tenancy agreement of a sort to students stating the kind of service and facility they would give students. The committee would call for a meeting among hostel owners to define a classic charges to hostels based on their facilities and provision of services.
Join us, as we make the SRC more responsive because we are DUTY BOUND REGARDLESS , to find pragmatic means of curbing the issues that confront us as students.
YOURS IN SERVICE
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☑ ADU-BAAH CHARLES
🔵 SRC PRESIDENT HOPEFUL '19
☑ NAZIR YUSIF MOHAMMED
🔵 SRC VICE PRESIDENT HOPEFUL '19
🔴 DUTY BOUND
