PRO-PAYMENT IN CASE OF DESTRUCTION

My Honour,

It’s about the end of the semester and I almost forgot about this issue until I heard that monies were being refunded. Before my hall registration procedure was completed in this freshman year in the first semester each hall asked all resident students to pay GHC 20 reason being that one may destroy some property in the hall. I really did not understand the whole thing. Why were we being made to pay for something we hadn’t yet destroyed? It had so many implications.

One was that the university authorities did not regard students as matured enough or responsible enough to maintain properties rented to them by the universities. Do they take us to be children?

Second I have not heard of people paying for debt before it came in. Fine! Even if it happens certainly not in the university or maybe I’m living in a different world.

I hesitated to pay because I did not understand the whole concept. I certainly still can’t now! Anyways we were obliged to pay otherwise registration was incomplete. I paid for sake of convenience and the long queue. Why not? I wanted to get into my hall, no questions asked. Besides the sweet part of the deal says that if we didn’t destroy anything by the end of the year the full amount was refunded and so no big deal, right? I pay for something it was presumed I may destroy, if I did, the money was used but if I did not, the money was given back to me.

My Honour, like I said in the beginning I forgot until a roommate informed me that the monies were being refunded. Honourable Court I was so infuriated when I heard that we were being given back GHC 13. The Hall claimed they were taking GHC 7 for maintenance which was absurd because that wasn’t part of the deal besides we paid for maintenance for there’s no way GHC 7 should be for maintenance. No Way!  Forgive my temperament, honourable court but it is outrageous!!!

Legon Hall which is the hall I’m residing in decided on the GHC 13 to give back to students. Other halls gave back GHC 18 or GHC 15 which was still not understandable because nothing got destroyed. This behaviour by the authorities I would say is the likeness for retaining money which shouldn’t have taken in the first place. Imagine, if they took all these little monies from students which they shouldn’t, their profit imagine would be enormous. The only male hall, Commonwealth protested when they were going to be given anything lesser than the money they had to get back. What amazes me is that they even asked for an interest of GHC 1 because the money which was saved in the bank for a year would have gained interest which the Vandals of C’wealth Hall successfully got being GHC 21.

What I understood from the C’wealth scenario was that the university authorities would trample on students’ rights until they protested and demonstrated against it. They know what is right but they also want noise-making students before they act in the right way. My Hall, Legon Hall is presumed to have its resident-students being gentlemen and ladies not boisterous and are from well-to-do homes where money isn’t a problem. My Honour I believed that is why my hall authorities decided to give back the lowest amount in comparison with other Hall refunds. Unfortunately we were not willingly to be trampled upon. They wanted demonstrations and that’s what we gave them although not the violent kind just peaceful discussions. Why does it have to go that way before things get right? Finally there was an agreement. Of course there would have been if we stood and we were given GHC 18 which wasn’t the deal anyways but was ok.

My Honour, why should payments of this nature be made in advance when the authorities won’t hold their end of the bargain?

I rest my case!