Ghanaian students on government scholarships abroad can heave a sigh of relief as government through the Finance Minister releases GH¢100 million for disbursement.
The Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang disclosed this on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen programme Monday.
He explained that, the amount is to top up GH¢50 million which was released over a week ago.
“This brings comfort to both the secretariat and the students. The amount will go a long way to cater for tuition owed in the 2023/2024 academic year. This clearly shows the NPP government prioritises and has education at heart,” he said.
This development follows reports of hardships faced by the students due to unpaid stipends and tuition fees.
In an open letter to President Akufo-Addo authored by Pius Apprey of the University of Kent, he revealed that scholarship recipients, particularly those in the UK are faced with severe financial difficulties.
He explained that, although students were promised full coverage of tuition and monthly stipends for living expenses, this has not been fulfilled.
Mr. Apprey said many students have only received stipends for nine out of the 37 months they have been abroad, leaving them with significant debt.
As a result, students face evictions, lawsuits, academic withdrawals, and in extreme cases, resorting to desperate measures for survival, including male students selling sperm and female students engaging in relationships for financial support.
But Mr Agyemang assured that the government has began engaging the schools to show evidence of funds being released.
He noted that, processes are easy now to ensure that funds are disbursed to the beneficiaries,
Mr. Agyemang added that, by end of the month, all students will receive their stipends.
Listen to Mr Agyemang in the audio above:
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