GRASAG-UG President, Christiana Adu
The University of Ghana chapter of the Graduate Students' Association of Ghana (GRASAGUG) wishes to express its displeasure with the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat and the Government for the delay in paying bursaries of graduate students. The Association is dissatisfied with the over one-year delay in payment of funds to our members for the 2021/2022 academic year.
Research is an important tool for national development. As graduate students, whose major preoccupation is research, we dedicate our time to finding solutions to the plethora of challenges that confront society. This we do with all dedication and diligence in pursuit of the development of our nation.
It is somewhat surprising that a government that believes in
education and is determined to turn the fortunes of this country post the Covid-19 pandemic has not prioritized our academic research work.
The Association has observed with great concern the lack of urgency by the Government and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat in paying the bursaries of our members. It must be said that Government has not heeded several calls by our mother Association, GRASAG National in its quest to ensure the payment of the outstanding of some students in the 2019/2020 academic year, full payment for the 2020/2021 bursary, and the registration for the 2021/2022 academic years.
The 2020/2021 academic year ended with no commitment from government in paying
bursaries due graduate students. Many graduate students were unable to complete their thesis due to the non-disbursement of the bursaries which has hampered the flow of academic work.
GRASAG-UG has contacted the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat and has had cause to call on the Minister for Education to seek his intervention for the payment of our bursaries. Despite these, the bursaries remain unpaid. We are still urging the Government and the Ghana Scholarships Secretariat to expedite payment of our bursaries in earnest.
GRASAG-UG further requests for an increase in the current amount of GHS420 for each student pursuing a master’s programme. This amount is woefully inadequate and insignificant under the current economic circumstance of funding academic research.
We wish to state explicitly that should the government continue with its present disposition as far as the disbursement of graduate students’ bursaries is concerned, we may advise ourselves in a manner most appropriate and lawful. We implore the government to make payments into the accounts of our members by Thursday, September 22, 2022.
Signature,
Christiana Adu
GRASAG UG President