The University of Ghana Students’ Representative Council (UG-SRC) has officially declared its position on the recurrent debate on the payment of utility bills by tertiary students across the country at a Press Conference today at the SRC Union Building; University of Ghana.
Below is the full statement signed by the UG SRC President, Ms. Esinam Afi Seade
STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
STUDENTS ARE NOT IN THE POSITION TO PAY FOR UTILITY BILLS
National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) President, Fellow Executives, Students leaders, Friends of the media, Ladies and Gentlemen, the issue of who bears responsibility for the payment of water and electricity consumption by subvented institutions in the country has become rather unclear in recent times.
Whereas students believe government bears the responsibility, the University Management also believe government has developed a cold feet with regards to payment of utility bills which could compel them to push forward the burden to students following the directive from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to the utility companies notably the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited that public tertiary institutions are responsible for the payment of utility bills from January 2014. This has led to threats of disconnection and actual disconnection of several institutions on many occasions by Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and Ghana Water Company Limited.
As a result, the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the University of Ghana on a proposal to include charges for utilities (Electricity and Water) in students’ fees for the 2015/2016 academic year, submitted by the Finance Director on 16th June 2015 was addressed. In this proposal, an amount of GHC225.36 and GHC627.14 was proposed as charges for utilities for Non-residential students and Residential students respectively in a situation where administrative consumption of utilities were to be footed by management, with charges of GHC745.80 and GHC344.03 also going for Utilities for Residential Students and Non-Residential Students respectively in a situation where student were to bear the total cost.
In interacting to this, the proactive effort of government saw to the revert of this decision by the University authority through a letter from the Ministry of Education dated 29th June, 2015. Per that letter, all Educational and Health Institutions were mandated to be exempted from the ongoing disconnection exercise as mentioned above. In addition, the Ministry also reiterated that Government had not taken any decision for students in some Public Tertiary Institution to pay utility bills for the academic year.
Going forward, Students’ Representative Council has also taken notice of the decision of the University management to bill students for Utilities for the 2016/2017 academic year following the inaction of government to make payment for the Utility charges as promised. A projection of gh¢2,326.00 and gh¢922.00( for residential and non-residential students respectively) came out from the finance directorate as proposed utility charges on students for the 2016/2017 academic year in a meeting of the finance and general purposes committee of the university of Ghana. This to the directorate was measure that the university was adopting as a sustenance mechanism to prevent threat of disconnection and actual disconnection.
By this release
- We ask that the Government issues a directive to all stakeholders involved, namely the electricity company of Ghana (ECG), Ghana Water Company Limited and the University of Ghana management, asking that students are waived from these proposed charges.
- We call on parents, civil society organization, students unions and the general public to solidarize with the University of Ghana SRC to vehemently avert these unwarranted charges on students.
- We further call on all students of the University of Ghana to remain calm as the SRC will not succumb to any policy decision at the detriment of students’ welfare. The SRC stands with students always!
Students leader, friends of the media, ladies and gentlemen, we are very grateful for your time. God richly bless you for your audience.
Thank you.
Esinam Afi Seade
SRC PRESIDENT
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