Madagascar's Higher Education and Scientific Research Minister Marie Monique Rasoazananera has expressed her determination to evict those individuals who have no right to live in official student accommodation and who are causing serious overcrowding.

Student accommodation facilities in Madagascar can house up to 2,000 students but three times as many have taken up residence in them. 

According to statistics compiled by the student support service CROUA, 6,000 people are living in student accommodation. In addition to legitimate students, they include individuals with no legal tenancy rights such as former students, members of their families, and people who had no connection at all with university or student life, reported Midi-Madagasikara of Antananarivo. 

On a visit to the University of Ankatso-II, Rasoazananera said: “Everyone knows that the university residences, like those at Ankatso-II, are overcrowded. But the ministry is carrying out a clean-up operation of those who should not be living there, so that students can carry out their studies successfully.”

Samson Willy Andriamihajaniaina, director of CROUA, said: “We have been able to remove 30% of those people who should not be living in the accommodation at Ankatso-II. This work is continuing and we are trying to clear out the university residences as much as possible.”

He said CROUA had asked the legitimate student residents to report to the authorities anyone living there who did not have the right, and they had responded with “a certain enthusiasm”. 

Rasoazananera said that as well as the evictions, her ministry was carrying out a feasibility study for building new student residences. – Compiled by Jane Marshall

This article is drawn from local media. University World Newscannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.