A concerned student of the Dr. Hilla Limann Hall, which is one of the University of Ghana Enterprise Limited (UGEL) halls has petitioned on behalf of the residents for a review of the fine that has been given to residents of the halls.
Prior to the petition, it was revealed that some residents of the UGEL halls had been fined with a fee for failure to keep their rooms clean after vacation. The fine was visible on the student’s portal, leaving many surprised and frustrated.
The petition, dated 1st of October, 2023, stated that the fine raises several concerns which includes ‘lack of transparency’, ‘shared responsibility’ among roommates when it comes to cleaning and the ‘amendment of the tenancy agreement’.
“The issue at hand pertains to a fine of 500 cedis levied on residents for allegedly leaving their rooms in a dirty condition before departing for the vacation. While we acknowledge the importance of maintaining cleanliness and hygiene within the UGEL facilities, we feel that the imposition of this fine raises several concerns.”
The residents are therefore calling on the Dean of Student Affairs and UGEL management to review the fine imposed on residents for poor room cleanliness.
The students have suggested that UGEL should consider making roommates individually accountable for the cleanliness of their respective spaces in the rooms, rather than punishing all occupants for one person’s mess.
“Make roommates individually accountable for the cleanliness of their respective spaces within the room. This would ensure that those responsible for any cleanliness issues are the ones held accountable.”
UGEL has also been called by the students to amend the tenancy agreement by adding a detailed information on how clean the rooms are to be kept. They argue that this will ensure fairness and transparency in terms of how fines are imposed and will also help to ensure that all roommates share responsibility for keeping their rooms clean.
“Amend the UGEL tenancy agreement to include detailed guidelines on room cleanliness expectations during vacations and the corresponding penalties for non-compliance. This would provide clarity to residents and prevent future misunderstandings.”
Here is the petition document.
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Story by: Henrietta Owusua | univers.ug.edu.gh
