The University of Education (UEW) Students Housing / Accommodation Policy
INTRODUCTION
In his acclaimed theory of needs, Maslow argued that shelter is a physiological need and basic to human survival (Hesse 2006). This means that every individual requires a kind of shelter in the form of housing. The UNDP (1996) report established that improved housing conditions have an immediate and direct impact on human development. The report also has it that, adequate housing is positively correlated with progress in health, literacy and longevity and also social stability of communities. Improvements in housing boost the material and psychological well- being, health and work productivity of individuals as well as school performance.
The current conditions of service for Senior Members and Qualified Staff of public universities (as contained in the Unified Condition of Service of Senior Members of the Public Universities of Ghana), provide that the Universities may provide accommodation to all Senior Members and to Senior Staff of the rank of Principal Administrative Assistant and above or its equivalent. The Universities are, thus, not under strict obligation to provide residential accommodation to its staff upon engagement. The ability to provide housing/accommodation depends on the availability of adequate housing to meet the demand. The huge housing deficit of over 1.7 million units in the country also reflects the situation in almost all public universities, of which UEW is part.
The Management of UEW has from the year 2014 to present embarked on some efforts to expand the housing infrastructure for staff by the construction of new multi-storey residential premises to address the growing demand for on-campus accommodation. The University also encourages staff to secure their own means of accommodation either through rented premises or through Owner-Occupier premises, subject to the payment of appropriate allowances.
5-Storey Residential Apartments at North Campus, UEW
Notwithstanding the inadequacy of official university accommodations, there is still the need to ensure a fair and transparent allocation of the available houses to qualified Senior Members and entitled staff based on regulations and procedures approved by the Academic Board and administered by the Housing Committee.
This policy document (Housing/Accommodation Policy) is therefore aimed at providing guidelines, procedures, rules and regulations for a fairer allocation of official university accommodation to qualified staff and/or Senior Members. Through a process of Point System Allocation, application forms (Appendix 1) are issued to qualified and interested applicants by the Estate Section. Points are accumulated by applicants based on various attributes or capacities such as the rank/status, service point, family size, duties and additional responsibility, etc. The applicant who obtains the highest number of points after the collation of the information vetted by the Housing Committee would be offered the accommodation in respect of which the applications were received.
2.0 The UEW Housing Committee
Schedule B of the UEW Statutes 2007 establishes the Housing Committee as a Standing Committee of the Academic Board. It is made up of the following members:
∙Pro Vice-Chancellor – Chairperson
∙One Representative of Estate Management Committee
∙Four Members (elected by the Academic Board)
∙One Representative of FUSSAG
∙Estate Officer
∙One Member of GAUA
The Housing Committee is tasked with the following responsibilities: –
a)To carry need assessment of staff housing/accommodation
b)To identify and allocate to staff the available housing/accommodation
c)To review the housing accommodation policy and procedures of the University.
To be able to carry out these functions fairly and transparently taking into consideration the competitive demand for official accommodations by qualified staff, the Housing Committee submits for the consideration of Management this proposed Housing/Accommodation Policy to guide the allocation of vacant housing units to qualified and interested staff. This document will ensure a fair and transparent allocation of the University’s housing stock.
3.0 Scope of UEW Housing Units
The University’s Housing Units consist of those houses/buildings purposely built as residential accommodation across the campuses as well as rented premises taken by the University (as
tenant) for and on behalf of qualified staff. Allocation of such units shall be based on approved procedures.
Briefly, the residential accommodations owned by the University are made up of few multiple storey multi-occupancy facilities, single-storey semi-detached houses, single-storey detached houses, few multi-occupancy single-storey suites and few rented premises.
4.0 Hospitality for Newly Appointed Senior Members and Qualified Staff
A newly appointed Senior Member and/or qualified staff shall be provided with seven (7) days hospitality in the form of being accommodated in a suitable hotel or guest house. This is to give the staff concern some form of respite in seeking accommodation either on-campus or off- campus.
5.0 Duty Post/Reserved Housing for Special Officers
Duty Post housing shall be provided on campus for the following categories of Senior Members who are classified as principal officers of the University:
(i)Vice-Chancellor
A purpose-built residential facility fully furnished (referred to as the Vice-Chancellor Lodge) shall be provided as a duty post on campus.
Also the following principal officers shall be provided with furnished accommodation on campus:
∙Pro-Vice-Chancellors
∙Registrar
∙Finance Officer
∙University Librarian
6.0 Allocation of Vacant Housing/Accommodation Units
6.1Advertisement for Vacant Housing/Accommodation Units
The Housing Committee shall advertise all vacant University housing units by circulation same widely to Faculties, Departments, Sections Units as well as posting copies of the adverts on appropriate Notice Boards in the University. Housing application forms should be collected from the Estate Section and appropriately completed by applicants. A sample of the application is enclosed herewith in this policy document as Appendix 1.
6.2 Vetting and Collation of Completed Points System Application Forms
Completed application forms shall be returned to the Estate Section for vetting and compilation of the results. The vetting will be done through information obtained from the Division of Human Resources relating to personal data, qualifications, family size, duration of service, position held etc.
A list of all applicants, indicating the points accumulated and vetted by the Estate Section, on behalf of the Housing Committee, will be published for the information and comments by qualified and interested staff. The vetted points will be forwarded to the Housing Committee for scrutiny and allocation.
7.0 The Points System Method of Allocation of Vacant Housing/Accommodation
When an applicant applies for housing/accommodation, points are awarded based on the applicants personal data, housing needs and other social circumstances. The more points an applicant accumulates, the better his or her chance of getting an offer of housing/accommodation.
Download the document below for additional information on the students’ accommodation on the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) campus.