University of Ghana Accommodation: Parents Criticize Stressful Registration Process

Some parents who accompanied their wards for accommodation registration at the University of Ghana have raised concerns about what they describe as exhausting and outdated procedures, calling for the adoption of more efficient, technology-driven systems. According to the parents, the largely manual payment and verification processes at the halls of residence are creating unnecessary stress for both students and their families, particularly during peak registration periods. They argue that fees such as the Junior Common Room (JCR) dues should be integrated into overall school fees and paid digitally to eliminate long queues and delays. Speaking to Citi News on Monday, January 19, one parent recounted arriving on campus as early as 6:30 a.m., only to be directed to a bank to pay an additional GH₵100 after waiting in line—an experience he described as inappropriate. “I got here around 6:30 a.m. and met about 15 people in the queue, so I joined it. When it got to our turn, I was asked to go to the bank to pay GH₵100, and the stress we went through was nothing to write home about. “That GH₵100 should have been added to the fees we had already paid to conclude everything, so that when we came here, we would only verify and proceed to the halls.” Another parent, Joseph Junior, who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned why such manual systems persist at an institution with high academic rankings. He stressed that room registration should be conducted online using an automated serial number system. According to him, this approach would significantly reduce congestion and streamline verification at the halls. “Considering the ratings of this university, this stress should not have occurred in the first place. Room registration should have been done online, where students register and receive an online serial number, so that when you come here, it is only for verification.”