More dan 600 students wey dey on Ghana goment scholarship for di UK don dey stranded for many cities sake of say goment no pay dia tuition fees.
Out of dis number, ova 400 of di students on scholarship face deportation.
Di students complain say goment don dey owe dem dia allowances and oda stipends wey dem go take pay for rent and bills for more dan two years.
As a result, some of di students don withdraw from dia universities while odas don receive many warnings from dia schools and di UK home office – as dem dey face deportation.
One of dem na Pius Apprey wey dey for University of Kent.
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Im tell BBC News Pidgin say, “Di goment dey owe many of us tuition fees and monthly allowance for more dan two years depending on di year we enta di UK.
“Some dia moni be 20 months, odas na 23 months. My own na 28 months.”
Im add say some schools like “University of Birmingham and Bradford don sack more than 11 students wey no fit pay dia tuition fees”.
E say dose students also receive warning emails from di kontri immigration say make dey leave di UK by 9 November.
One student, Sampson (no be im real name) share im email from di UK home office wit BBC News Pidgin.
Inside di letter, di UK home office bin dey warn say make im park im tins and comot di kontri by 9 November 2024.
“Your permission as student don dey cancelled. You get option to either leave di UK or you fit apply again to stay for here,” di email tok.
Di email give reasons why dem take dat decision say make im leave di UK by dat date.
“On 22 July 2024, your sponsor don tok we for di home office say dey don withdraw dia sponsorship as you stop dey study wit dem due to financial debt.”
Samson na just one of more dan 10 students wey dia universities don sack dem sake of say dem no fit pay dia tuition fees.
According to Pius Apprey wey don write open letter to di president of Ghana about dia wahala, “11 of di students wey dey face deportation dey from University of Birmingham, two of dem bin dey University of Bradford.”
Im tell BBC News Pidgin say, “For di rest of us, we also don receive warning letters from our schools, we dey fear say veri soon dem go add letter say make we withdraw from our schools.”
“For some of us wey dem no sack us yet, we no fit access anytin for our school portal, no academic activity bin dey go on, we no fit go di libraries, we no fit to meet our supervisors wey we no fit to attend conferences.”
Wetin be dia next line of action
For di more dan 600 students wey dey di kontri, some bin dey do masters programme odas dey do PhD for di UK since 2021.
Di students say dey don write plenti letters to di Ghana High Commission office for di UK about dia wahala, but notin dey happun.
For now, dem don decide say if dem neva hear from di scholarship secretariat for Ghana and di goment, dem go do demonstration.
“Right now wia tins reach, if we no take serious action, na suffer we go continue to dey suffer for here.
“So we don gree say we go gather for di High Commission office to demonstrate,” Prince Komla Bansah tok.
Wetin scholarship secretariat tok local media
BBC News Pidgin don write to di scholarship secretariat and di Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Ghana for response to dis issue.
Both institutions togeda wit di Ghana High Commission office for di UK neva respond to our enquiries for days, and dem no pick dia calls.
But local media tok on 4 September di scholarship secretariat announce say goment don release some moni for di stranded students.
Richard Gyamfi wey be head of International Relations for di Scholarship Secretariat bin tok say, “Di good news na say we get hint by di ministry of finance say dem don release some moni (GH ¢50m) even though e neva reach di amount we don dey ask for.”
Local media Citinewsroom bin quote oga Gyamfi of saying: “We don go thru oda means to submit letters wia di registrar of di secretariat don write to goment pipo wey dey beg dem to allow di finance ministry to release di moni.”
Even though im gree say di 50m Ghana Cedis (about 3,203,647 dollars) no dey enough to settle all di arrears, oga Gyamfi tok say “we go prioritize di tuition of di students sake of we no want make dem sack dem for dia courses”.
Sabi pipo bin tok say wit dis amount wey goment tok say dem release, e fit to pay di tuition fees of about 120 students, wia many more odas go remain.
E also mean say if dem use dat moni for di tuition fees alone, di plenty students wey neva get dia allowances to pay dia rent, utility bills and oda tins, go continue to dey stranded.
One lawmaker for di Ghana parliament Dr Clement Apaak bin tok say make “goment take steps to correct di wrongs”.
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