Covid-19: Private University Students Ask Govt For Stimulus Packages

The Private University Students Association of Ghana (PUSAG) has among other things, asked government to support private tertiary institutions as they also face financial challenges due to the covid-19 crisis.

In a statement, it asked the government to “create and give a stimulus relief package for private universities in terms of directing the banks to offer interest-free loans. We believe this would help management of the various universities in addressing the financial repercussions they face currently”.

Schools have been closed down for two months now following an order by President Akufo-Addo to prevent the spread of the disease.

Most of them, have resorted to online classes, with some even preparing for end of semester examinations.

Lamenting the “total exclusion of private universities from the various stakeholder engagements and consultations intended to help control the spread of the pandemic and also on the initiatives being proposed to cushion the universities in these difficult times”, PUSAG, in the statement, pleaded with the government to “include the private universities in every other action or policy it will take to address the challenges that confront the e-learning projects”.

The Association is also “urging Parliament to expedite action on the Education Regulatory Bodies Bill, 2019, which is intended to address the financial implications of affiliation on our students; especially in these short difficult times.”

At the time President Nana Akufo-Addo announced the shutting down of the schools on March 15, 2020, Ghana had recorded six cases of COVID-19.

The case count has now jumped to 5,127 with 22 deaths and 494 recoveries.

The 2020 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) which was scheduled to begin on March 30, 2020, and end on June 1, 2020, has also been suspended until further notice.

As there is no end in sight in the fight against COVID-19 and subsequent opening of schools, managers of educational institutions have resorted to using digital platforms for teaching and learning in a bid to cover up for the lost periods, with some, soon to conduct online end of year examinations.

---citinewsroom