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'Seth Terkper Na Sika No Wo Hen?' graduate students chant over bursary delay

By MyJoyOnline
General News 'Seth Terkper Na Sika No Wo Hen?' graduate students chant over bursary delay
SEP 28, 2016 LISTEN

Hundreds of graduate students have taken to the street Wednesday to protest government’s failure to release the bursary grants for the 2015/16 academic year.

Wielding placards with various inscriptions such as ‘Prez Mahama must respect Graduate Students,’ ‘Invest in Research Mr Mahama,’ ‘Enough is enough Give us our Bursary Now,’ the students are demanding immediate payment of their grants.

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National President of Graduate Students’ Association of Ghana (GRASAG), Rashid Kwesi Etuaful said government has demonstrated over the years that it does not value graduate education.

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He said the Association's problem is with the repeated delay of their thesis and bursary grants.

Government is expected to pay GH¢450 to post-graduate students who are pursuing various degrees in Business Administration (MBA) and Arts (MA) but payment has often delayed.

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Although the grants for the 2012/13 and 2014/15 academic years were also released late, Mr Etuaful said the 2015/16 grants has “unduly delayed.”

According to him, attempts to get government to release the money had often been met with promises that payment would be made ‘as soon as possible’ but it is never done.

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“We need timelines about how they are going to pay us the money,” he said, adding students have been unable to meet some of their academic deadlines because of the delay.

This he said defeats the everyday mantra of President John Mahama that he is investing a lot in the education sector.

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“Government is not valuing graduate education in the country yet they are quick to compare Ghana to Malaysia and Singapore,” he lamented to Joy News’ Raymond Acquah.

He has urged government make payment forthright else face repeated mass action from the graduates.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Austin Brakopowers | Email: [email protected]

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