UniMAC-IJ students demand hostels after decades of neglect

President of Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN), Mohammed Taufick, has called on the President and stakeholders to consider providing hostels for students.

He described the struggle for accommodation for students as “more than an inconvenience”.

The absence of hostels for the University of Media, Arts and Communication – Institute of Journalism is a daily crisis that has persisted for five decades.

With no on-campus hostels since its founding, many students of Ghana’s premier communication university are forced to rent costly private hostels, commute from distant towns, or even sleep in mosques during weekend classes.

“Some of our colleagues who travel from other regions have no place to sleep. They spend the night in mosques or unsafe shelters,” Mr. Tauphick revealed.

He made these remarks during an address calling on President John Mahama and other stakeholders to urgently support the construction of a 5,000-bed hostel as part of a broader “Bed for All” campaign.

“We are advocating for the full implementation of this policy, with UniMAC-IJ as the first beneficiary,” Taufick said, citing overcrowding, safety risks, and stress as major concerns faced by students.

The campus currently runs an intense academic schedule from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily, including weekends yet lacks the basic infrastructure to support students and staff. Even the Vice Chancellor has no official residence on campus.

“This is not just about students. Even lecturers have no accommodation,” he said. “How do we ensure academic excellence without a supportive environment?”

The “Bed for All” campaign seeks to rally government, Parliamentarians like Zanetor Rawlings and John Dumelo, and alumni including Joyce Bawah Mogtari and Shamima Muslim  to prioritize the university in infrastructure development.

Mr. Tauphick, who led a campus-wide campaign, said the student body is hopeful that under an NDC government, this long-standing issue will finally be addressed.

“UniMAC-IJ has given so much to Ghana. Now, Ghana must give back. It’s time to honour the university that helped raise national giants,” he declared.

Mr. Tauphick highlighted the longstanding lack of an on-campus hostel facility at UniMAC-IJ,  a situation he described as “undignified” and detrimental to academic life.

He bemoaned the costly hostel fees students continued to grapple with, wondering why it had taken half a century for the Institute of Journalism to have accommodation facilities for students.

“For over 50 years, Ghana’s only premier communications university has operated without a single hostel on campus,” he said. “Students are compelled to spend up to GHS 15,000 annually on private accommodation in areas like Osu and Cantonments, while some commute from as far as Nsawam and Winneba.”

He also grieved the absence of official bungalows for lecturers and the Vice Chancellor, noting that this undermines supervision and mentorship.

The TEIN leader used the occasion to launch the “Bed for All” campaign, a student-led advocacy effort pushing for a minimum 5,000-bed hostel facility and on-campus staff housing.

“Our goal is for UniMAC-IJ to become the first beneficiary of this government policy. We want the official launch of the ‘Bed for All’ initiative to take place right here on our campus,” he stated.

Mr. Tauphick urged key figures such as Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu, MPs Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings and John Dumelo, as well as alumni and stakeholders, to support the cause.

He again stressed that the UniMAC-IJ campus has produced notable figures who have served in the NDC and national governance, including Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Ama Pratt, and Stan Dogbe and deserves better investment in infrastructure.

“The students have spoken. The time for promises is over. Let us make the ‘Bed for All’ vision a reality,” he concluded.