Two Akuafo Hall alumni have donated beds to the hall to ease accommodation challenges being faced by the University.
Lawyer Thaddeus Sory and Managing Director of Phoenix Insurance, Henry Bukari donated 100 students’ mattresses in a ceremony held at the fountain of the Akuafo Hall on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
They donated the beds after an appeal was made by the Deputy Senior Tutor, Dr. Margaret Ismaila, emphasizing the plight of students from the hinterlands, particularly the Upper West Region where both donors hail from. The donation is therefore to help provide accommodation for students from far distances, especially Upper West Region.
One of the donors, Lawyer Thaddeus Sory said the gesture is to help provide accommodation for students from far distances, and also ease accommodation challenges being faced by the University.
“The number of us who come from the north and far way places do not get anywhere to stay, at least briefly, it is one of the reasons why we decided that this cause, we’d be a part of it “
Henry Bukari also said the donation was a way to give back to the University for the impact it had made on his life.
“Our secondary schools gave us a foundation but this is actually the superstructure that has made us who we are, so if we are here today, we are doing it out of a very genuine heart to say thank you to the university and in particular, the hall that has made us who we are today and that is why we are here to support the hall’, He said
The Hall Master, Prof. Kweku Oppong Asante expressed gratitude to the illustrious sons of the hall and promised to use the beds responsibly
“I just want to stand on behalf of the hall and say that we will put these mattress to good use and I’m sure the JCR president can also assure our senior farmers that their students are going to take good care of this facility that you’re giving unto us.
We’re going to make it, put it to good use .”
The senior hall tutor, Dr. Kodie Frimpong used the opportunity to shed light on the challenges being faced by the hall. He said the management of the hall is facing difficulties due to delays in receiving subventions and quotas from the central government and the university. This delay has led to a shortage of basic facilities such as fans, door locks, and light bulbs, making life difficult for students. He has made a humble appeal to the Pro VC to exempt basic purchases like light bulbs, fans, sockets, and door locks from the slow and cumbersome procurement processes to avoid further delays.
“We are in times when university management cannot rely solely on subventions and quotas of the central government and the university. Subventions and quotas delay. Or do you not even come at all?
And this does not rub those of us in the management of halls where, for instance, we are currently in the ninth week and yet basic facilities such as fans, socket door locks, light bulbs, , have just been released.
Students are unable to withstand the heat of their rooms, bearing in mind that the number of some rooms has been increased to four in a room, some students have taken the law into their own hands and hired the services of electricians unapproved by the hall to fix fans in their rooms.
May I, therefore, use this opportunity to humbly appeal to the Pro VC to use his high office to plead with the university to exempt certain basic purchases of halls such as light bulbs, fans, sockets, door locks, from the slow and cumbersome processes of procurement.
Due to the delays and inadequacies of subventions and quotas, management of the hall have been engaging with well-meaning members of society, alumni and corporate organizations to partner with us to give our students a befitting memorable experience. We need electric fans because what has been allocated this semester. It’s woefully insufficient. We need to replace our toilets. This can be done block by block.”
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor in charge of Academic and Student Affairs, Prof. Gordon Awandare who was also present at the ceremony called on Alumni and Stakeholders to also emulate the gesture to support the University.
This is what the University of Ghana is about. It’s about excelling in your field of endeavor and blessing the university with the resources that you have also managed to generate. So we are extremely grateful. Henry and Thaddeus Thank you so much.
He also touched on challenges the University is facing and called on students to use the beds wisely as the university management works to make life better for students
“We’re in a situation where the university is grappling with so many challenges and dwindling resources. The subsidies don’t come in. So the reality is that the university is always struggling to keep your lights on, to keep your water flowing. To make sure you can go to class and so when we get support such as these, we would ask of you that you use their facilities and the resources that they give. Use them responsibly so that when you leave your younger brothers and younger sisters can also come and use them because resources are tight and we cannot continue to damage university property and then expect that they will replace them overnight.
We’re doing what we can do to make your life better on campus, and with the support of alumni, as we have today, we’re trying to do that. But we also call on you to be very responsible and to be each other’s keeper and to report people who abuse university property so that we can get them out of the way so that you can.”
Some members of the hall management who were present at the event were Dr. George Kodie Frimpong, and Dr. Margaret Isimaila, senior tutor, and deputy senior tutor respectively.
The others are; Prof. Clement Apaah, former hall tutor of Akuafo Hall, Mr. Moses Bediako, the Hall Librarian, Mr. Socrates Bankas, the Chief Hall Assistant as well as Mr. Ahmed Nii Addy an official of the Hall.
The Hall Master, Prof. Kweku Oppong Asante expressed
gratitude to the illustrious sons of the hall and promised to use the beds responsibly.
The Pro Vice Chancellor in charge of academic and students affairs, @gordon_awandare was also present at the ceremony.
2/2#UniversNews pic.twitter.com/kypVw5NHId
— Univers TV (@univers1057fm) March 13, 2023–
Story by; Gideon Nicholas Day | univers.ug.edu.gh
