Ghanaian students under government scholarships studying at different levels in Hungary are appealing to the government to pay them their eight-month stipends.
The students say the delay in releasing the stipends meant for their living expenses is stifling their academic performance.
Speaking to Citi News, the Student President of the Ghana Association of Students in Hungary, Gabriel Asante, said students are forced to work over 48 hours to fend for themselves abroad.
“In Hungary currently, we have about 169 active Ghanaian students, who are on a government scholarship, and this ranges from bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees, and PhD students. According to the contract that we the students have with the Government of Ghana, through the scholarship secretariat, the government is supposed to provide bachelor students with a monthly stipend of $250, and my master’s and PhD students $400 per month. But since January this year, students have not received it. It’s been 8 months.”
“I have been to the scholarship secretariat several times and from the conversation that I had with the Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat and other staff; it seems the problem is not coming from them. I think what I can see from there is that the problem is now beyond them. So now our plea goes beyond the scholarship secretariat. We are appealing to the stakeholders, especially the Ministry of Finance, to release the money for us to get paid”.
Meanwhile, the Financial Secretary of the association, Patterson Adjei has said students are on the verge of losing their scholarships because they are recording poor academic performances due to the unavailability of funds to take care of themselves.
When Citi News contacted the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat for a reaction to the appeal of the students, it indicated that efforts are being made to resolve their concerns.
