A group of 47 Ghanaian students, who were brought back from Sudan by the government due to a deadly conflict in May 2023, have submitted a petition to Parliament seeking support for their integration into tertiary institutions in Ghana.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration had evacuated these students, but despite assurances from the government about their integration into local universities, they have not yet experienced any progress.
Aisha Mustapha, a spokesperson for the group and a 5th-year medical student, expressed their concerns, stating that despite verbal assurances, the promised integration has not materialized.
The students are appealing for support as they find themselves at home while schools are in session.
Mustapha mentioned their efforts to engage with the Ministry of Education, where they were assured of integration into private universities.
However, the financial constraints faced by the students make this option unfeasible, as their original decision to study in Sudan was driven by the lack of funds for such private education in Ghana.
“We are appealing for integration because the government is yet to reach out to us. Even though there have been some verbal assurances since we arrived in Ghana, there has not been any meaningful progress yet, and schools are in session, and we are at home.”
“We have met the director for tertiary education at the Ministry of Education on two occasions, and he assured us of integration. He told us that they were going to integrate us into private universities, but we told him we could not afford it because if we had those funds, we would not have gone to Sudan in the first place.”