Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have staged a protest over the sharp increase in private hostel fees.
They say the rising cost of accommodation is putting significant financial pressure on students and their families.
During the National Youth Conference organised by the National Youth Authority at KNUST, members of University Hall, popularly known as Katanga, made their presence felt by displaying placards.
The demonstration was part of their effort to voice concerns over student issues, with the morale group using the national platform to draw attention to challenges facing students on campus.
The placards carried messages including “Reduce hostel fees now!”, “We came to learn, not to sleep” and “Hostel fees are now more expensive than our school fees.”
Addressing the concerns of students, Obrane, who leads the Katanga morale group and is a final-year Agricultural Engineering student, said the high cost of accommodation was threatening access to university education.
He explained that the financial strain was no longer just on students but also on their families.
“Everybody wants their children to enrol in university; if the hostel prices are more expensive than the university school fees, then it’s unfortunate,” he said.
In addition, Obrane accused some private hostel owners of deliberately disregarding regulatory guidance from the Rent Control Department.
According to him, the failure to comply with official rent regulations has given landlords the freedom to charge arbitrary fees, leaving students and their families at a disadvantage.
“The hostel owners want to exhibit that their power supersedes the government,” he said, appealing to the media to draw attention to the students’ concerns.
“We came to school to learn and not to sleep,” he added.
Youth Development and Empowerment Minister, George Opare Addo, said the government would engage the relevant authorities to address the issue.
“I want to assure them that as Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, I will take up this issue with the Minister for Education and the appropriate authorities that are responsible for controlling rent in this country,” he said.
Mr Opare Addo said Ghana was a country governed by laws and that no individual or business should be allowed to operate outside them.
The Minister also said the Education Ministry was engaging private developers over the construction of affordable accommodation on university campuses.
He said the government remained committed to its “Bed for All” policy, a manifesto pledge aimed at expanding accommodation for students in tertiary institutions.
“We will have the necessary conversations with owners of hostels and make sure that prices are reasonable for the dear students of this country,” Mr Opare Addo said.
The students’ protest comes amid wider concerns over the cost of tertiary education, with accommodation emerging as a major expense for students unable to secure places in university-managed halls.
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