Kumasi, Aug. 22, GNA - The local branch of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has expressed worry about the proliferation of unlicensed facilities operating as sub-standard private hostels in the vicinities around the campuses.

The phenomenon has culminated into a situation where the owners of the so-called hostels with low-standard facilities take advantage of the accommodation problem in the university to extort monies from students by charging cut-throat rates while ignoring security, safety and welfare of residents, the local NUGS said.

This was contained in a statement issued in Kumasi on Wednesday and signed by Mr Prosper Hoetu, President of the KNUST branch of the NUGS. Owing to the teeming student population in the tertiary institutions, the government has welcomed private participation in providing accommodation for students. The situation has given rise to the proliferation of hostels in peripheral communities of the university campuses, the operations of some, which leave much to be desired. The NUGS expressed disgust and disappointment for the inaction of the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) which is enjoined by a Legislative Instrument (NRC Decree 224) to regulate, classify and license these hostels charging exorbitant fees between GH=A2350 (3.5 million cedis) and GH=A2900 (Nine million cedis) per student, four of them sharing a room.

"We are calling on the GTB to as a matter of urgency, perform its lawful duty to regulate and sensitise the activities of the hostel operators to safeguard the security and welfare of the students", the statement said.

When contacted, Mr Ekow Sampson, Deputy Ashanti Regional Manager of the GTB, said his office had taken due cognisance of the situation and that plans were far advanced to harmonise the criteria for grading as part of measures to regulate hostel operations. As a first step, he said, a revised budget to facilitate an inspection tour had been forwarded to the GTB head office in Accra for action.

Mr Sampson assured the students of the GTB's readiness to bring the situation under control very soon, adding, "it is unfortunate that the hostel operators have outpaced us in our move because the universities have re-opened for the year's academic programmes.