UG Students Fume Over 25%+ Fee Hikes—Calls Grow for Answers on Soaring Costs!
Source: JoyNews
A wave of anger and anxiety is sweeping through the University of Ghana (UG) as students deal with a recently released provisional fee schedule that shows big increases in the cost of school.
The big increases, which are more than 25% on average, have led to urgent calls for the university management to explain why they made such big changes to their finances.
The provisional numbers that are now available to the public show a harsh truth for both new freshmen and returning students just a few months before the start of the new school year.
A lot of people are wondering if they are ready for the financial consequences of these increases.
These changes seem to have the biggest effect on the College of Humanities, which usually has the most students at the university.
For example, Level 100 freshmen will have to pay a shocking GH¢3,110, which is a 34% increase from last year’s GH¢2,319.
Fees will also go up for students who are already enrolled in the same college, from GH¢1,777 to GH¢2,253, a 27% increase.
These trends also affect the very competitive University of Ghana School of Law. New law students now have to pay GH¢3,226, which is 33% more than last year’s GH¢2,435. Their continuing counterparts will have to pay more, going from GH¢1,890 to GH¢2,396.
When looking at the detailed fee breakdown, it seems that steep increases in third-party levies are a major cause of this worrying trend.
These extra fees, which were only GH¢255 last year, have gone up to GH¢767 for freshmen, a shocking 200% increase. Now, students who are still in school will pay GH¢455.
The extra fees are broken down as follows:
GH¢300 for the SRC Hostel Development Levy, GH¢100 for the 75th Anniversary Legacy Project, GH¢312 for the Telecel Data Package (Freshers), and GH¢50 for the SRC Welfare Dues.
Fees for Reprographic: GH¢5
This pattern of big fee hikes isn’t just happening at the College of Humanities and the School of Law. The College of Health Sciences, the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, and the College of Education are some of the other specialized faculties that have seen increases of 25% to 35%.
The fact that students weren’t told about the fee changes ahead of time has become a major point of contention among them.
A group of student representatives is asking university officials to explain in full why the costs are going up so quickly.
They say that these kinds of financial burdens could make things even harder for students and their families.
