Tertiary students to pay for utilities from next academic year

Tertiary students across the country would from next academic year pay for the utilities (electricity and water) they consume on campus.

This is to complement the efforts of government in paying for such essential services in order to make campus life more comfortable and also to prevent future disconnections.

In an interview with tv3network.com, the Rector of the Kumasi Polytechnic, Professor Nsowa Nuamah said "the Minister of Education met all the SRC leadership of all state owned tertiary institutions in the country and told them that for the previous debt, that would be taken care of by the government.

"But next year, there would be a modality and all the students will contribute. The students will contribute something small and government will continue to take up some of the cost of water and electricity and then we can move on."

His comments follows the disconnection of taps by the Ghana Water Company of some major public institutions including the Kumasi Polytechnic and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), over non payment of water bills.

KNUST is believed to be owing the Ghana Water Company about GHC 6 million, and Kumasi Polytechnic is said to owe in excess of GHC 400,000. Students of both institutions have expressed disgust at the discomfort the disconnection for a few days had on them.

Prof. Nsowa Nuamah says the body mandated to pay utility bills of all state tertiary institutions have complained of lack of inadequate funds to settle the debts. The National Council for Tertiary Education (NTCE) is yet to explain how it intends to settle the debts.

The Kumasi Polytechnic Rector said "for us as a tertiary institution (Kumasi Polytechnic) there is an arrangement. It is the students who would have to contribute towards it. But as at now, the debt would have to be taken care of as we think of financing it in the next academic year."

Meanwhile water supply has been restored to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and this was confirmed by Vincent Ankamah Lomotey, the Public Relations Officer of the school.