Development of a Digital Hostel Allocation and Management System for IMT Enugu

Student accommodation management in Nigerian polytechnics is frequently hampered by manual allocation processes, lack of transparent room assignment procedures, and difficulty in tracking occupancy and maintenance requests. These challenges are evident at the Institute of Management and Technology (IMT), Enugu, where student hostel demand consistently exceeds available capacity, making fair and efficient allocation a pressing administrative concern. This study developed a digital hostel allocation and management system designed to automate and streamline accommodation administration at IMT Enugu. The system was built using a PHP and MySQL web stack, incorporating modules for student application, room assignment based on defined eligibility criteria, occupancy tracking, and maintenance fault reporting. A role-based access structure was implemented, allowing students, hostel wardens, and administrative officers to interact with the system according to their designated functions. Functional testing confirmed that the system accurately processed allocation requests, enforced occupancy limits, and generated allocation reports in real time. Students who participated in usability evaluation praised the transparency of the online allocation process, noting the elimination of favouritism associated with manual assignments. The maintenance reporting module was assessed as particularly valuable, enabling prompt identification and resolution of facility faults. The study concluded that a digital hostel management system would significantly improve accommodation governance at IMT Enugu, enhancing fairness, administrative efficiency, and student satisfaction. Implementation should be phased to allow staff training and infrastructure readiness assessment.

Keywords: hostel management, digital allocation, IMT Enugu, accommodation system, student welfare