HOSTEL MANAGERS DEMANDING HOSTEL FEES FOR NON-UTILIZED PERIODS AMIDST PANDEMIC

OPEN LETTER TO GNUTS

Covid-19 being declared as Pandemic has not only affected our way of life but has also affected global economy; it is as a result that world economies are providing poverty alleviation programs to support the system. It is evident that we are in hard times; buying and selling is crippled, liquidity chain is dangling, unemployment is rising, price of commodities is unstable yet some hostel managers are demanding rent in this hard time.                

                                                                                  

It has come to the table that some hostel managers are demanding rent with claims that rooms were let with conditions privy to academic calendar.                With or without the pandemic, business must continue and we do by no means want to interfere in their business but the ethics and the spells of the contractual agreement make the claims fictitious— in a sense that the academic calendar has been annulled following the closure of various campuses, and new timetable has been drawn to extend the duration of the second semester, these make their claims arguable because the academic year is not ended.   

 Going further to rebut their demands, it must be noted that two semesters in an academic year sum up to 32 weeks, and a total of 22 weeks was spent indicating that a maximum of 10 weeks multiplied by rent per day should be credited as balance to students occupying their premises in terms of abrogation.     

 

 In addition, I think it is judicious to give students some ample time to prepare for next payment in this hard time or at least halt the annual increment of rent. Government is doing necessary to ease the load, we plead with our landlords to contribute to mitigating the hardship.          Associations (GNUTS), and boards (Accredited Hostels Board chaired by the Dean of students) that are the mouthpiece of students are called to mediate on our behalf.

In conclusion, Covid-19 has dispose onto us hardship making things difficult for guardians and students at large, demands for rent at this time increases financial distress therefore landlords are admonished to liaise with the Accredited Hostel Boards to review the conditions and find appropriate means to recoup their funds.

JESSIE ASANTE SASU

COMPUTER SCIENCE

KOFORIDUA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY