The Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, has stated that a total of GH₵50 million has been released to the Controller and Accountant General Department to pay scholarships.
He made this known to a delegation from the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), led by its president, Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo, paid a courtesy call on the Secretariat at the end of October.
According to him, the government, being very aware of the challenges being faced by beneficiaries due to the delay in scholarship payments, the government is speeding up processes to ensure the situation is remedied.
“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 50 million cedis has been released to the Controller and Accountant General,” he said.
The leadership of NUGS also discussed issues surrounding the closed scholarship portal, while urging the Secretariat to expedite the payment to their members. and amongst other issues.
Dennis Larbi-Ampofo stressed the importance of this because a number of their members are on the verge of deferring their courses or dropping out of school altogether.
“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 reiterated.
He further stated that the doors of the union are always open for discussions that seek to put the ordinary student in a position of a safe and sound educational environment.
He added that they are willing to be part of any activity that is tailored around this mission.
The NUGS president however stated that the students will only hold onto their patience until payments are made but should the government stretch them too long, they may be forced to resort to other extreme measures.
Source: Ghanaweb