Old students of the Commonwealth Hall at the University of Ghana known as the Old Vandals Association (OVA) have alleged that the university has no intention to resolve accommodation issues.
According to the group, the policies introduced by the university to resolve its accommodation concerns are only strategies to destroy long-standing traditions of student activism.
In a recent interview on Happy 98.9 FM’s “Epa Hoa Daben” socio-political talk show with Don Kwabena Prah, some executives of OVA expressed worry over students ability to afford private hostels after first year.
“In the university’s bid to solve the accommodation issues they have adapted policies. They’ve introduced the in-out-out policy which means you only get accommodation for first year and then you have to struggle for accommodation for the subsequent years. But our issue is, not everyone can afford the private hostels around so if the university hall can provide accommodation for a far cheaper rate why don’t we encourage that rather they said no.”
“We think that this policy isn’t the game plan of the university. We have been with the university for some time and the plan of the university is to break student activism. They don’t want situations where people can stand up and speak to them or say anything to them,” the group bemoaned.
“For instance if you’re putting only first years only in the halls what it means is that whatever policy you want to pass you’ll just pass and go. Because there are no continuity students there who can stand up and criticize bad policies.”
Meanwhile, the association’s plan to construct a 4,000 capacity hostel as an accessory facility for the Commonwealth Hall has allegedly been rescinded by the management of the University of Ghana.
