I would like to thank the editor for giving me this platform to bring the following issue to the public's notice. The University of Ghana authorities are doing something that is very detrimental to the University education of continuing students, and the government of the republic must act now to prevent what is great injustice, robbery and stinking corruption. It is common knowledge that the University of Ghana had wanted to turn the Commonwealth Hall into a mixed hall, a decision which it has been prevented from implementing by the courts. Whatever one feels about this issue, I think it is insensitive obstinacy on the part of the University authorities to make all continuing students pay for the actions of a few recalcitrant vandals. Fellow Ghanaians, believe it or not, continuing students of the University of Ghana from all halls are finding it impossible to get accommodation in the halls, annexes and University hostels. And this is all continuing students, not a few, and not limited to a hall or two. It is a real scandal and Mr President and the government must act today to save the situation. Why is it that Commonwealth Hall rooms, which used to accommodate 4 people has now been allocated to 2 people? Why did Volta Hall wait till the new semester began to carry out renovation works when it had 3 whole months to do so during the vacation? This has resulted in many boys who should have been in Commonwealth Hall and girls who should have been in Volta Hall being pushed to the other halls and even the annexes, taking up spaces that should have gone to continuing students. And this situation is further aggravated by the artificial shortage created by some hall authorities who are only interested in selling beds for astronomical sums (800 ghc and above). And let no one ask me for proof, this is common knowledge to everyone at Legon. If the government wants proof, and I think it should want proof, it should simply offer an amnesty to students who have bought the beds and they will point out those corrupt officials so that they can be rooted out for good. An audit of beds as available, as against those currently declared vacant by these authorities would also help. Fellow Ghanaians, please judge for yourselves the justice of the following. Last semester, continuing students were invited to apply for beds in the newly-built University Hostels (Sarbah Annexes C and D, Akuafo Annnex D as well as the already existing Akuafo Annex C) and some students duly obliged. After they did that the Hostel authorities brought out a list of students who had been offered beds and they were asked to make a non-refundable down-payment of 50ghc to confirm their acceptance of the offer and they duly paid. Fast forward 3 months down the line and these students come back to school with an assurance of their accommodation, only for the University Hostel authorities to give them this rude shock: their beds have been re-allocated to God knows who so they should come for their monies! Tell me fellow Ghanaians, where is the justice in this? I wish one of those Human Rights lawyers would take up this matter and initiate a class action against those authorities on behalf of these poor students. Given that the same thing happened last year, only on a smaller scale, I think someone's got to take these people on for them to realise that they are only trustees of government property and they cannot treat poor students, the only reason they have jobs in the first place, anyhow. Too bad I cannot afford a good lawyer, I would have taken them on myself! The saddest of the situations is the predicament of those students who have returned from their year abroad, 'Level 500 students'. The halls have always offered accommodation to these students but this year, they have returned to Ghana with that assurance only for them to be stranded. And these students were not here to compete for places in other hostels and the ones still available are prohibitively expensive. Government of Ghana, come to the aid of these students. Nobody should give me that crap about the University being an autonomous institution and all. If my taxes pay to sustain the school, then I think I have every right to ask the Government to demand some accountability and to ensure that the objective of the University, which is to train the required manpower, is not prejudiced by a few selfish individuals. The last thing I would like to talk about is the newly-opened 'affordable' student hostel near the Noguchi Institute. Now will anyone please tell me how a hostel that is supposed to be affordable charges 400 ghc a semester for a 4-in-a-room accommodation? Outrageous isn't it? That's the same price charged by Pentagon, which is popularly considered a 'luxury hostel' is charging (and it comes with DSTV and a fridge for good measure.). And with all the hustle the continuing students have been going through, this would have been an alternative, albeit one they would be forced to take. Now what I would like to know is, if Jubilee charges 500ghc a year for the same 4-in-a-room, why can't this new University Hostel charge same? Government of Ghana, it is obvious that some people have turned the University into a money-spinning machine, contrary to its objectives, and the earlier you act, the better. Start by having this Hostel reduce its charges! That's why we voted for you! There's no better Ghana if I can't pay for my university accommodation! To conclude, I would like to thank TV3 for doing a story on this situation last Friday. I would like to urge all newspapers to put this issue on their front-pages, do editorials on them, put this issue out to the general public. Radio stations should also buy into this worthy cause, discussing it on their morning shows and other important talk-shows. That would really be helping Ghanaians, rather than the over-dose of politics you have been serving us. Make some real impact for once. And for those corrupt officials who are toying with the lives of helpless students because of your greed, I pray you repent today. But if you will not, I pray that you meet the judgement of God Almighty. Whilst I wait for that (and for their sake, I sincerely hope it does not come to that), Government of Ghana, act now to help continuing students of the University of Ghana. That will do a lot to help the Better Ghana Agenda. By Evelyn Frimpong, Kumasi