Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland, Her Excellency Sabah Zita Benson, has responded to the leadership of Ghana Scholarship Authority (GSA)-sponsored PhD students in the UK who rejected a proposed oath-taking exercise announced by the Ghana High Commission.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the High Commissioner said the Commission was compelled to respond publicly after students chose to publish their letter and petition through the media before official receipt by the High Commission.
She said the students’ stance, expressed in a letter titled “UK sponsored students rejects High Commission Oath of affirmation,” seeks to introduce conditions that differ from the terms of the bond as signed between 2020 and 2025 under the former Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang.
Referencing copies of the Bond issued to students, High Commissioner Benson drew attention to Clauses 4 and 5, and the liability paragraph that follows.
Clause 4 states that “I will abide by all requirements set by the GSA…including all surveys and evaluations as requested” while Clause 5 states that “Upon completion of my studies, I commit to returning to my home country after 2 months.”
The Bond further states that “In the event that I fail to fulfill any of these obligations, I am aware that I may be held liable for the scholarship funds received and be required to reimburse.”
It would be recalled that the students in their response, demanded timeline of full tuition and stipends, insisting that no student will return to Ghana until the entire of their tuition and stipends are paid and guaranteed appropriate reintegration into work market.
However, High Commissioner Benson pushed back on the students’ demand saying the Bond “contains no obligation by Government to reintegrate them into society” and that the Commission intends to enforce the obligations owed to taxpayers.
On the proposed oath-taking and verification exercise, the High Commissioner said there is “nothing retroactive in the new Act” and that per Clause 4 of the Bond, “The GSA reserves the right to undertake actions they deem fit.”
The High Commissioner noted that some of the affected students claim the GSA owes them 40 months in stipends. She questioned why these demands were not made when the erstwhile Registrar of GSA Dr. Kingsley Agyemang was still in charge.
She explained that the Ghana High Commission, acting on behalf of the GSA, “shall go ahead with the planned verification and oath taking,” adding that the exercise is in the interest of taxpayers and is intended to correct what she described as “a huge mess” created by the previous administration.
“Nobody is going to hold Government to ransom because they were fortunate enough to get scholarship award to go after life’s dream of getting a Ph.D”
By 1960news.com
