A Survey on Student Preferences of Facilities and Models of Accommodation at Kapasa Makasa University, Zambia

The main aim of the survey was to generate data on students' views on the preferred model of accommodation and the hostel facilities at the Kapasa Makasa University Campus in Zambia. Currently, the University offers a unique on-campus accommodation. Unlike the traditional student hostel arrangement in other public Universities in the country where hostel allocation is gender-specific, at the Kapasa Makasa University, the hostels are co-education. It is only the floors that are gender-specific. The possible modification of this arrangement is to go further and make flat-lets co-education. Co-education here means mixing male and female students in hostels of floors, or flat-lets. Data were collected through a five-point Likert scale that was self-administered and randomly distributed questionnaires to 300 students out of the student population of 560. In the survey, the one-way Anova test showed significant differences between students year of study on their preference for gender-specific hostels and floors. Although female students had a greater desire for living in a gender-specific hostel, when compared to male counterparts the difference was not statistically significant. For the floors the one-way Anova test showed a significant difference between students year of study on their preference for gender-specific floors. When the study asked students about the convenience of the on-campus accommodation, the majority preferred on-campus housing to off-campus model of accommodation. This preference was across gender and years of study. Currently, all students at Kapasa Makasa University stay on campus. The university offers free cooking facilities, bed space, internet, television and a fridge. There is also free transport to go into town that is 25kilometers away from campus. The survey involved questions that sought students satisfaction or preference on different arrangements of allocating of hostel floors, and also how they value different hostel facilities and services. The next part of the questionnaire asked students to express their views on -off-campus accommodation. They complained mostly of poor water reticulation, erratic supply of electricity and laxed security.