Student leaders in higher learning institutions in Gulu have called on the private sector to invest in hostel facilities to address the shortage of accommodations for students from distant places.
The newly elected Guild President of the East African Institute for Management Science, Stephen Otim Palaring, revealed that with 1,000 enrollments, 65% of the students are forced to rent from the community within the city due to the lack of hostel facilities, compromising their security.
This issue has mostly affected international students, with a large number of them coming from South Sudan, Rwanda, Tanzania, and other parts of the country.
The students’ leaders have appealed to the private sector to establish safe hostel facilities within the city to respond to the emerging issue of limited accommodations for students.
Laker Sharon Peace, the newly elected Speaker of the Institute, noted that many students have been robbed by thugs from their different rental places within the city. Female students have been the most affected, and keeping them in safe hostel facilities is the best solution.
One of the affected students, Prisca Asistolo from Adjumani District, highlighted that besides insecurity in the area, landlords often evict students from their rental places whenever school closes up. This forces students to look for places to rent every semester.
A similar concern was raised by the student leaders at Gulu University, where students are evicted from their rental places within the campus at the end of every semester. The Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister of Gulu University, Nancy Lakot, said that accommodation remains the biggest concern affecting the students that the private sector should take an interest in.
Meanwhile, the Director of the East African Institute for Management Science, Kynira Apuli, acknowledged the challenge but noted that plans are underway to establish hostel facilities within the Institute. Apuli explained that housing is a long-term investment that was difficult to undertake during the time of war in Gulu, but with peace, the demand is high and should attract good investment in the area.
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