Recurring Hostel Maintenance Challenges in Tertiary Institutions of Nigeria

This study examined the recurring maintenance challenges in hostels of tertiary institutions in Nigeria using FCE (T) BICHI as a case study with particular focus on maintenance strategies, challenges facing in the implementation of hostel policies, student’s attitudes toward hostel facilities utilization, and the relevance of existing hostel policies. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Data were collected from respondents within the college hostel and other hostel stakeholders using structured questionnaire base on four-point Likert scale. A weighted mean statistic of measuring central tendencies and dispersion was used in the analysis of the data collected. A decision point of 2.5 was used; all items with a weighted mean of 2.5 and above are considered to be positive while those below were considered to be negative. Findings from the study revealed that preventive and schedule maintenance practices are considered more effective than reactive maintenance approaches in sustaining hostel facilities. Respondents also agreed that regular inspection, technology integration, feedback mechanism, and adequate funding are essential strategies for improving hostel maintenance. The finding further showed that students generally demonstrate positive attitudes toward hostel utilization through reporting damages, maintaining cleanliness of shared spaces, and cooperating with roommates to preserve facilities. However, some negative attitudes such as misuse of facilities and poor adherence to regulations still contribute to recurring maintenance problems. The study revealed that existing hostel management policies are relevant in some areas such as room allocation and maintenance scheduling, but weakness exist in policy communication, students’ participation in policy formulation, overcrowding control, and timely release of maintenance funds. Bureaucratic delays and in adequate operational funding were also identified as major barriers to effective hostel maintenance. The study concluded that recurring hostel maintenance challenge in Nigeriantertiary institutions are caused by combination of inadequate maintenance culture, insufficient funding, overcrowding, weak policy implementation and certain negative student behaviour. The study recommended adaptation of preventive maintenance system, increased funding, stronger student participation in hostel administration, improved policy communication and public-private partnership for sustainable hostel management.