The National Union of Ghana Students has called on the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat to expedite the payment of scholarships to beneficiaries.
At the Scholarship Secretariat on October 31, 2022, the leadership of the National Union of Ghana Students paid a working visit to the Registrar and management of the secretariat to discuss issues of delayed scholarship payment, closed scholarship portal, and other issues.
Pressing among the various dialogues was the unpaid scholarships to deserving students since the last academic year.
The President of the Union, Mr Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo in his address established the position of such deserving students and made it known that a number of these students are on the verge of deferring their course or dropping out of school altogether.
Mr Larbi-Ampofo reiterated “we acknowledge the effort of the scholarship secretariat but the education of these students on the government scholarship scheme can never be compromised especially not under my watch as the chief servant of the union and that government must take swift measures in making sure this situation is curbed.”
He went further to state that the doors of the union are always opened for discussions that seek to put the ordinary student in a position of a safe and sound educational environment and is willing to be part of any activity that is tailored around this mission.
On the issue of the delayed payment of scholarships, the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Dr Kingsley Agyemang in response stated that “the government of Nana Akufo Addo is very committed to education and all efforts are being made to close the gap.
“Discussions with the Ministry of Finance are going well and some GH₡50 million have been released to the Controller and Accountant General (CAGD),” he explained.
The President of the Union, Mr Larbi -Ampofo speaking on behalf of the Union acknowledged the efforts of the government for education more accessible, he extended a hearty appreciation to the Scholarship Secretariat especially the Registrar of the secretariat, Dr Agyemang for his commitment towards his work and the support he has given Ghanaian students studying abroad.
In his remarks, he sent forth a word of caution that, the students of the republic are holding on to their patience until payments are made yet the government should be aware that the patience of these students has a gauge
in another development, the scholarship Secretariat had assured all students on the scholarship scheme both home and abroad to rest assured that the secretariat is working hard to resolve all nonpayment.
This assurance was given on Monday, October 31, 2022, during a meeting with the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) to address the issues of nonpayment of scholarships at home and abroad.
The NUGS President, Mr Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo who led the delegation, commended the Registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Dr Kingsley Agyemang on his PhD attainment and highlighted the challenges students on the scheme are facing presently.
“Students studying on the government of Ghana scholarship are crying. For close to a year, a lot of Ghanaian students on local and international scholarships by the government of Ghana through the Scholarship Secretariat have not disbursed students’ bursaries to them.
“This has made it difficult for the students to fund their education due to the challenges confronting them as a result of this situation,” the NUGS President stated.
Mr Larbi-Ampofo said students are receiving notices of ejection from their hostels and apartments and risk being homeless.
Dr Agyemang who received the delegation admitted to the knowledge of the aforementioned challenges indicating that their operation is affected by the global financial crisis.
However, the government of Ghana through the Scholarship Secretariat assured the union (NUGS), that affected students will be attended to in no time, as they are making all necessary financial arrangements to resolve the challenge.
“Ghanaian students studying on government scholarship should keep calm, these arrears are not something usual in our operations ever since we took over and I can assure you, we are working around the corner to end,” Dr Agyemang assured the students.
“We have commenced payments of fees and in some areas, stipends are also being paid, we have been engaging both the institutions and students to ensure we continue to keep our students in school, let us continue to work as faithful partners and calm your students down as we sail through these challenges together.”
