The agony of a GIJ student

My school, Ghana Institute of Journalism recently released our facility user fees for the 2018/19 Academic year and it'll interest you to know that there's been an increment of 15% for regular students and 20% for weekend students which means that we the level 300 regular students who paid GHC2,400.00 for the last academic year would now be required to pay GHC2,760.00 whilst the weekend students pay as much as GHC3,120.00.

This is a means to deprive most students of their right to Education, heartbreaking and insensitive in the sense that we continually get the same service or less being rendered to us; aside coming to lectures for 2 or 4 hours a day, we are not allowed to even use the Lecture Halls for group studies because right after lectures, all halls are locked and we are left to either hang our small Cafètaria or go home because there is no place for studies, relaxation or pleasure.

It is also good that you'd be informed that the Institute does not provide hostel facilities [which is explicitly stated in our handbooks given on admission] thereby making students commute from long distances to school everyday or alternatively, be forced to rent a place in Osu, Labone and its surroundings which is very expensive for the average student to afford.

At a forum organized by management of the School last semester, we impressed on management to give us a breakdown of our fees which will make us know the various components that make up the fee but our request was not granted for a flimsy excuse given by the Institute's accountant.

Our colleagues in other Universities pursuing humanities are paying less and especially in the University of Cape Coast, Bachelor of Communication students pay around GHC1, 400.00 - 1,600.00 for an academic year and are given a breakdown too.

If there are places for intensive practical as evident in our sister Institution - NAFTI, we would not be that much bothered but here in GIJ, the only thing we have is Radio GIJ which is not well resourced and regrettably, lots of media houses now prefer students of the University of Ghana, Legon to Students of GIJ due to the training most of them are given in Radio Universe.

I remember last year, Hon. Mahama Ayariga raised concerns about Universities solely taking decisions to increase their fees without bringing it to Parliament for approval.

It is important to note that the current management is taking steps to put up a new campus to accommodate the growing number of students annually but that does not give you the opportunity to milk us dry in order to achieve your purpose.

Mr. Acting Actor, you need to descend to the level of our parents especially, those with 3 or more young adults who have to pay this amount in other universities simultaneously.

Of what value is your facility user fee when some students of GIJ who graduate cannot write good news stories, produce award winning and life-impacting documentaries, cannot make sound arguments and get media houses chasing them for employment opportunities but lose such opportunities to students of a non-specialized Communication University?

Reduce our fees now!

Education is a right and not a privilege!.