Accommodation crisis hits KNUST; VC says "We Can’t Build New Hostels"

Kwame Nkrumah of Science and Technology

Vice Chancellor of the Kwame Nkrumah of Science and Technology says the university cannot build new hostels in the wake of the increasing accommodation crisis confronting the university.

Professor William Otoo Elis says the university does not have the capacity and the requisite funds to undertake a building project any time soon.

Due to the back and forth nature of the senior high education system, the university have had to house more than its capacity.

This has however left the students to the mercy of private hostels whose services have been questioned on so many occasions.

These private hostels are reported to be providing way below what they promise students who apply for these hostels.

As a result, over hundred armed robbery cases were recorded in the catchment area in 2013 with some innocent girls alleged to have been raped.

Coupled to that, prices of these hostels get increased every year with less or no corresponding improvement in facilities especially with security.

In this light, the leadership of the Students Representation Council (SRC) held a news conference last Friday to threaten a demonstration on March 20, if the hostel managers do not meet their demands.

The students want the hostel prices to be reduced reasonably, balance should be refunded to inmates and corresponding facilities should be provided.

But the university authority says it is in talks with hostel managers to see reason to reduce the prices of the hostels and perhaps provide requisite facilities.

Vice chancellor, Professor Otoo Elis however added that the school is currently in no position to build any hostel because of lack of funds.

He also revealed that the university has not engaged any private developer to build either halls or hostels because the demands of these private men are unattainable and absurd.

They ask among other things of hundred per cent occupancy of the halls when built and the duration to retrieve their money is unreasonable.

Professor Elis therefore asked students to hold on with payment of hostel fees till the university communicates to that effect.

He was speaking at this year’s People’s assembly also known as Meet-the-VC organized by the students’ representative council every year.

Because this year ends the university’s 10 year strategic development plan drawn in 2004, inputs from students were also gathered for the new plan dubbed 2k24.