Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu has announced plans to create a committee that will recommend permissible annual rent increases for public universities, a move aimed at tackling what he describes as exorbitant accommodation costs across Ghana’s tertiary institutions.
The proposed body would advise the Minister of Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, on the appropriate percentage by which rent charges in public universities should be increased annually under the Fees and Charges Act.
Iddrisu said the committee would help introduce a level of control over rent adjustments and ensure that increases in accommodation costs are reasonable and take prevailing economic conditions, including inflation, into consideration.
He argued that a clearly defined annual adjustment mechanism could help establish a more predictable system for rent increases while discouraging arbitrary or disproportionate hikes.
In a media interview, the Education Minister said he believed a committee should examine the issue and make recommendations to the Finance Minister before implementing annual fee and charge adjustments.
“We do not support exorbitant rent prices being charged across the country. It is my view that we should constitute a committee to advise the Minister of Finance before he proceeds with the Fees and Charges Act on what percentage increase is permissible each year. We can say, for instance, take inflation as a guide, 5 to 10 percent increase annually.”
The suggestion indicates that the government could consider a more structured approach to rent adjustments in public universities, rather than allowing accommodation charges to rise without a clearly established annual benchmark.
