The Effects of Overcrowding on Students Living in University of Calabar Female Hostel, Cross River State, Nigeria

Abstract

The demand for university education has led to an increase in the students’ population especially in the Nigerian public universities. This comes with intense pressure on the bearing capacity of available school infrastructure. This study was designed to investigate the effects of overcrowding on the female students living in the University of Calabar Hostel, Cross River State, Nigeria. A sample of 276 out of the 892 students living in the university was drawn for the study using the simple random sampling technique based on Taro Yamane’s (1967) formula for the finite population. A 14 item structured questionnaire with a four-point Likert rating scale was adopted. Data generated from the administration of the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptively, tables, chart figures, percentages, average, and frequencies were used. However, Chi-square correlation techniques were employed in testing the study hypotheses. The result of the analysis revealed that the University of Calabar Female Hostel is overcrowded with a significant effect on the physical and health wellbeing of students. The study emphasized building more hostels by the university stakeholders to accommodate the overcrowded students, limiting students allocated to and allowed to share hostel rooms to avoid overutilization of resources, ensuring there is adequate clean water supply to prevent the shortage of water, avoid the incidence of a disease outbreak by implementing biweekly hostel sanitation exercise, and improve the duration of electricity supply in the hostels to enhance good ventilation system.