By Ernest Addo
Students of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) are in rages; threatening to hit the streets over management’s decision to implement what they say is a policy that would milk the already broke students dry.
GIMPA management, in a letter which has no date but signed by the Director of Estate and Municipal Services, Lawrence Avevors, and addressed to all staff and students, stated that the school had taken inventory of all the car parking space, demarcating the space and labelling each with a unique serial number and that effective 14 March, 2022, the institution would be implementing a revised parking policy from the main campus, a policy which would see interested students paying as much as GHC5000 every semester.
The parking space now earmarked as premium will include all parking spaces around the Ghana Law faculty, business school and other faculties. The only free space would be the parking space heading towards the main gate.
“Students interested in obtaining the premium parking space and electronic access may send their expression of interest with required fee of GH500 for the second semester ending 31st August 2022,” the GIMPA management stated.
Many students especially in the GIMPA law faculty have expressed their disappointment and opposition to the new arrangement by the institution.
In an iPetition by concerned students of the GIMPA Law Faculty sighted by the New Crusading GUIDE, the law students expressed grave concerns with some calculating that:
“The imposition of a GH¢500 premium parking service translates into an approximate cost of GHS7.4 parking fee per school day, GH¢1000 parking fee per academic year or GH¢1,500 when three semesters are run within a year (a case in point is the 2021 Year). We find this rate as outrageous and excessive to already overburdened law students of GIMPA. The law faculty parking space is designed purposely for the faculty, law students and other users of the building. Parking therefore must be on a first-come-first-served basis and not on a ‘premium-rate’ basis. The lack of pedestrian pathways leading to the faculty pose a high security risk to the safety of the students who would have to walk to the faculty. This risk is further heightened at night or dawn due to the poor lighting systems on the roads and in the car parks on the campus.”
Read below some of the concerns raised by the students in the petition:
“I believe the GH500 is unfair especially for law students. The parking at the law faculty should be first come, first serve basis. 500 per semester fee for parking is too much considering the fees we are paying. During the Covid era, a petition was made for a rebate of the fees since we didn’t not make use of the classroom and other amenities. The school is yet to refund or honor this petition. Students cannot receive a double slap by paying GH500 for parking. The fees we are paying at GIMPA is not cheap for us to pay for parking. This is clear extortion and the administration must reconsider this decision”
Another student said “I support this petition absolutely. The new proposed parking charge is outrageous. It is only fair that students be allowed to park for the few hours they’ll be campus for lectures without unnecessary financial burden.”
A distraught law student who pleaded anonymity intoned “Charging students of the faculty to park their cars at the faculty car park is simply fraudulent after taking all these fees! Otherwise they must provide free shuttle services for those of us who will park at the main car park far away at the entrance, who cannot walk that distance due to health issues.
I think providing parking space for students is more of customer service than a privilege. GIMPA could do better.”
Meanwhile, New Crusading GUIDE’s checks at the University of Ghana where GIMPA may be learning the new parking policy from revealed that the premier university charges students GH¢ 400 but that is for the whole academic year and not a semester as GIMPA has introduced.
More anon.
