By Prince Ahenkorah
The Minority caucus in parliament, has rebuked the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for neglecting Ghanaians who are on various scholarships abroad and asked him to immediately go to their aid.
About 927 students pursuing postgraduate degrees (785 Master’s and 142 PhDs) are currently stranded and suffering due to neglect.
An estimated £17,613,000, is owed in tuition fees alone, excluding stipends for basic sustenance that have not been paid by the Ghanaian government for many months.
The plea was made in a press statement signed by Dr Clement Abas Apaak, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa South, who doubles as the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee of Parliament, dated September 19, 2024.
He indicated that, the failure of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led NPP government to honour its basic obligations to the students, has not only put their future of the students in jeopardy, but also cast Ghana in a bad light.
He stated “It is unacceptable that the government, having promised to support these students, has left them in such a vulnerable and desperate state. The delay in the payment of tuition fees has caused several students to be withdrawn from their courses of study, while others face potential deportation.”
Dr Apaak highlighted that “Reports received paint a picture of desperation and despair. Some male students are compelled, under the circumstances, to sell their sperm for £150 to £250, while some female students, out of sheer desperation, are being forced into unwanted and exploitative relationships simply to have a roof over their heads or to make ends meet.”
“No Ghanaian student should ever be subjected to such indignities as enumerated above. Yet it has become the norm for many of our young scholars abroad under this government’s watch,” the Deputy Ranking Member on the Education Committee reiterated, indicating that the government’s failure to meet its financial obligations has forced some universities to withdraw their support and cancel Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat.
He further stated that several PhD students who enrolled in September/October 2020, and January/April 2021, and graduate students who enrolled between April and September 2021 and have completed their studies, have outstanding stipends and tuition fees.
He indicated that worse among them all is the government’s failure to pay stipends for 27 months for many PhD students who enrolled in September/October 2021, forcing students into dehumanizing situations just to survive in foreign countries.
The Minority caucus is, therefore demanding immediate action from the president to alleviate the plight of Ghanaian students abroad, stating that “The government must take immediate steps to settle outstanding tuition fees and stipends owed to all Ghanaian students abroad.”
Again, the government must, as a matter of urgency, reopen all negotiations between the affected universities and the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, which have since been cancelled due to non-payment of fees and stipends to students.
Dr. Apaak further stated “The government must be reminded that the neglect of these students is not just a betrayal of individual students but a betrayal of the nation as a whole. These students are the very people we expect to return home with the requisite knowledge, skills, and expertise needed to drive national development.”
The MP for Builsa South asserted that the Minority caucus stands with the students and their families, and they will continue to use all available avenues to hold this government accountable.
He indicated that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government must act immediately to avoid further national embarrassment and irreversible damage to the future of our youth.
“Ghana’s youth deserve better. The future of our country demands it. It is partly for this reason that the next NDC government, led by John Dramani Mahama, seeks the mandate of Ghanaians to, among other things, introduce legislation to usher in a new era of government scholarship administration.” Dr. Apaak highlighted.
He further indicated that the new scholarship regime by the NDC will be transparent and will prohibit the award of scholarships to government officials and streamline scholarships across multiple sectors to eliminate the current uncoordinated regime.
