Today can report that tension is brewing at the University of Ghana Accra City Campus.
The seeming tension, Today understands, follows an almost ten-per cent (10%) fee increment by the authorities of the university.
The situation, the paper gathered, has left many students restless, with those who cannot pay contemplating deferring their programmes.
Meanwhile, investigations conducted by Today have revealed that students of the university have in recent years been made to bear the brunt of consistent fee increment.
Though last year’s increment was minimal, students still had to make up for the difference in the upward review of the fees.
With the latest increment, BSc. Administration continuing students are being made to pay GH¢3,234 while freshmen are paying GH¢3,685.
For Bachelor of Arts continuing students, Today gathered that they will be paying GH¢2,658, whereas freshmen (Bachelor of Arts) will pay GH¢3,109.
Last year’s story which was not different from this year’s saw BSc. Administration continuing students pay GH¢3,015 while freshmen paid GH¢3,413.
Bachelor of Arts continuing students, the paper was informed, paid GH¢2,466 while freshmen paid GH¢2,864.
The painful aspect of these fee increments, according to some students who spoke to Today on condition of anonymity, was that they come without any explanation from the university authorities.
For some of the students, it was ‘absurd’ for the university authorities to increase the fees every academic year.
They could, therefore, not fathom why this was not the case at the main campus (University of Ghana, Legon).
According to them, BSc. Administration students at the main campus were currently paying GH¢1,272.
The above fee, they contended, represented a difference of about GH¢2,000, charged at the Accra City Campus (GH¢3,234).
Thus some of the students, for instance, who could not come to terms with this huge difference, accused the authorities of exploiting them.
“The school is exploiting us; yes, they are using us as money-making machines. Over 1,000 students should pay GH¢2,000 for lectures? Isn’t it absurd?, they quizzed.
According to the students, the worst part of all this was the fact that they enjoyed not even up to half of the social amenities provided at the main campus.
The library, internet connection, washrooms, they complained, were all poor at the campus.
Additionally, they said many of the washrooms on campus stink while others were saddled with leakages.
Coupled with the above, the students were also saddened that their School Representative Council (SRC) has been silent on the issue.
Against this background, they called on the government to intervene by ensuring that the fee is reviewed downward to make it affordable to every student.
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