The Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South and Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, Dr Clement Abas Apaak, has expressed his deep concern over the situation of Ghanaian students stranded abroad due to the Akufo-Addo government’s failure to remit them.
Describing the situation as “heartbreaking,” Dr Apaak, called for national attention to address the plight of these students.
“The plight of Ghanaian students studying on GOG Scholarships must receive our collective attention as a nation,” Dr Apaak emphasized.
He highlighted the contrast between the students’ suffering and the government’s alleged waste of state resources. “State resources are dissipated wantonly by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government,” he added.
Dr Apaak pointed out the international embarrassment caused by videos showing Ghanaian students in Morocco, on GOG (Government of Ghana) Scholarships, crying in front of the Ghana Embassy due to the government’s failure to remit their stipends.
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“It is an embarrassment to Ghana amongst its continental and international peers,” he said.
In a statement sent to The Herald, yesterday, Thursday, May 30, 2024, Dr Apaak, urged the public to hold the government accountable.
“Quite frankly, Ghanaians must call out the failed, corrupt, and insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government for wasting the collective resources of Ghanaians on personal and frivolous pet projects to the detriment of Ghanaian students, as in this situation,” he charged.
The distressing condition of the students in Morocco is part of a broader issue affecting Ghanaian students on GOG Scholarships in various countries. Many students face threats of being barred from exams, eviction, and inability to pay for basic needs due to delays in government remittances. Dr Apaak noted that these students are “mostly in tears, sorrow and trauma.”
Dr Apaak has taken a proactive stance on this issue, despite the Scholarship Secretariat being outside the Education Committee of Parliament’s mandate.
He shared his personal understanding of the challenges faced by international students, having studied in Norway and Canada. “I’ve made it my business to advocate for our students studying abroad because I can relate to, and understand the challenges of international students first-hand,” he said.
He stressed that the government has the resources to support these students adequately and called for immediate action.
“The Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government has been granted the resources to ensure that all our students on GOG Scholarships, both home and abroad, are adequately supported and their stipends timeously remitted,” Dr Apaak stated.
He urged the government to instruct the Scholarship Secretariat to resolve the issue promptly.
As part of his advocacy, the MP, has filed at least two questions regarding the delays by the Scholarship Secretariat and has previously called on Parliament to address the issue.
He called on the public to join him in urging the government to act.
“I ask you to join me in calling on Akufo-Addo and/or Bawumia to instruct the Scholarship Secretariat to immediately remit our helpless students in Morocco,” he appealed.
“Let us further call on the government to ensure that there are no unreasonable delays in remitting our students on GOG Scholarships in any part of the world.”
