The leadership of the Graduate Students Association of Ghana (GRASAG) has issued a stern one-week ultimatum to the government, demanding the immediate disbursement of long-overdue research support grants, colloquially referred to as “bursaries.”
Expressing grave concerns over the prolonged three-year delay in fund allocation, the association emphasized the detrimental effects of this delay on the academic pursuits of numerous graduate students.
Speaking at a press briefing held in Accra on Wednesday, April 10, President of the University of Ghana Chapter for GRASAG, Claudius Angsongna, underscored the urgency of the situation. He warned that failure to address their grievances promptly would inevitably lead to nationwide demonstrations.
Calling on the government to ramp up funding for graduate students and ensure adequate resourcing, Mr Angsongna emphasized the pressing need for immediate action. The association demands a response from the government within one week.
Failure to do so will prompt nationwide demonstrations and further press conferences to amplify their grievances.
“We wish to express our profound dissatisfaction with the persistent delays in the disbursement of research grants by the Scholarship Secretariat. Despite the repeated assurances, the crucial financial assistance required for our research endeavours remains elusive.
“For approximately three years now, GRASAG members have been deprived of any governmental support to conduct research. We implore the director of the Scholarship Secretariat to promptly address the issue to fulfil the obligations of graduate students. Graduate students are neglected, and we’re suffering.
“We call on the government to increase the funding for graduate students and ensure that we’re adequately resourced. We demand a response from the government within a week, in the absence of that, we will organize nationwide demonstrations and further press conferences to highlight our grievances.”