Estate developers urged to provide hostels at UDS campuses

Tamale, Sept. 20, GNA - Estate developers and the Ghana Hostels Limited (GHL) of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) have been urged to develop affordable hostels in the various campuses of the University for Development Studies (UDS) to provide accommodation for the students.

The GHL has in particular been urged to consider making use of lands allocated them on the Nyankpala, Navrongo and Wa campuses to put up hostels to provide the much needed accommodation in view of the increasing number of enrolment.

Professor Kaku Sagary Nokoe, Acting Vice-Chancellor of the UDS, made the appeal in a speech read on his behalf at the 16th Matriculation of the University at the Nyankpala campus on Saturday. He called on business people in the Tamale Metropolis to invest in hostels and the provision of other social services around the Tamale campus, adding that the university was prepared to cooperate on mutually agreed terms.

The University admitted a total of 5,592 fresh students for the 2008/2009 year, with 2,003 to pursue courses in integrated development studies; 675 for agriculture and 1,088 applied sciences.

Others were: 283 are pursuing community nutrition, 263 offering diploma and 30 for masters' degrees and other higher courses. Professor Nokoe said the University had demonstrated its commitment to providing education for all by ensuring that qualified applicants from deprived communities and remotely-located schools gained admission. He said only 20 per cent of the total applicants could not gain admission.

On infrastructure development on the various campuses of the University, Professor Nokoe commended the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) for providing the school with lecture halls, offices and residential accommodation.

He said there were plans to construct two large lecture halls and staff bungalows at the Navrongo campus adding that construction of clinics for the Navrongo and Wa campuses had begun with funding from the universities internally generated sources.

Professor Nokoe urged the fresh students to take their studies seriously and warned them against examination malpractices saying anyone caught indulging in such a habit would be drastically dealt with. He also advised the students to guard against been used by people with "sweet tongues" and politicians during the up-coming general election to cause mayhem.