Students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have protested soaring private hostel fees, saying the rising cost of accommodation is placing an increasing financial burden on students and their families.

Members of the university’s University Hall, popularly known as Katanga, morale group displayed placards during the National Youth Conference organised by the National Youth Authority at KNUST.

The placards carried messages including “Reduce hostel fees now!”, “We came to learn, not to sleep” and “Hostel fees are now more expensive than our school fees.”

Speaking on behalf of the students, morale group leader Obrane, a final-year Agricultural Engineering student, said the high cost of accommodation was making it increasingly difficult for families to afford university education.

“Everybody wants their children to enrol in university; if the hostel prices are more expensive than the university school fees, then it’s unfortunate,” he said.

Obrane also accused some private hostel operators of disregarding regulatory guidance from the Rent Control Department.

“The hostel owners want to exhibit that their power supersedes the government,” he said, appealing to the media to draw attention to the students’ concerns.

“We came to school to learn and not to sleep,” he added.

Youth Development and Empowerment Minister George Opare Addo said the government would engage the relevant authorities to address the issue.

“I want to assure them that as Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, I will take up this issue with the Minister for Education and the appropriate authorities that are responsible for controlling rent in this country,” he said.

Opare Addo said Ghana was a country governed by laws and that no individual or business should be allowed to operate outside them.

The minister also said the Education Ministry was engaging private developers over the construction of affordable accommodation on university campuses.

He said the government remained committed to its “Bed for All” policy, a manifesto pledge aimed at expanding accommodation for students in tertiary institutions.

“We will have the necessary conversations with owners of hostels and make sure that prices are reasonable for the dear students of this country,” Opare Addo said.

The students’ protest comes amid wider concerns over the cost of tertiary education, with accommodation emerging as a major expense for students unable to secure places in university-managed halls.