The President of Ghanaian PhD Cohorts studying in the United Kingdom (UK), under the sponsorship of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat (GSS), Prince Komla Bansah, has raised concerns over the deteriorating living conditions of Ghanaian students in the UK.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show on Monday, November 10, he disclosed that delays in stipend payments and unsettled school fees by the Ghanaian government and the GSS have left some students evicted from their hostels, while others have had to rely on food banks.
“So many of our colleagues have been jettisoning out of their students’ accommodation; some are facing legal evictions, others have to resort to food banks, it is the same old story,” he lamented on the show.
“It is a very precarious situation….. the reality is that the fees have not been paid, the stipend has not been paid for a very long time,” he added.
He also disclosed that the cohort is not having a solid conversation on the matter with the government.
“My challenge as a president is that we are not sitting down to robustly address the issue……the reality is that we are not having any conclusive discussion that can lead to a robust solution, so that is where the problem is,” he said
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Prince Bansah urged the Scholarship Secretariat to issue renewal letters to universities, assuring them that the students continue to be sponsored by the Ghanaian government.
He also called for immediate payment of stipends to ease the daily hardships faced by these PhD students in the UK.