Some Ghanaian students studying in Serbia are appealing to the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat to release their stipend since the delay has brought untoward hardship.
They say these stipends, crucial for their academic and daily living expenses, have not been disbursed for nearly a year.
In an interview with Citi News, Abdul Salam Mohammed, a Ghanaian Student in Serbia said, “We came in May [2023] and we haven’t received our stipends since last year, so it’s almost been 11 months. Even though we’ve had constant engagement with the Secretariat, nothing has been done about it and this has been a challenge for us. Many of us are adapting by doing a lot of menial jobs here and that is also affecting our academics.”
Another student said; “I arrived in Serbia last year and the main challenge here is with finances. We struggle to cater for many of our needs here and this affects our studies which is the main reason why we’re in this country. We borrow money from our country mates and people from other African countries to feed ourselves. Even moving to the main campus for lectures is by bus and if we don’t have money to do that, how do we learn.”
The appeal by the students comes days after an exposé by The Fourth Estate revealed disparities in the allocation of scholarships.
Among other things, the investigation revealed that scholarships were sometimes offered to individuals from financially stable homes.
These individuals include daughters of Ghanaian lawyer and politician, Freddie Blay and former Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu.
The report further revealed that while some people do not get the scholarships and even if they do, struggle to get their stipend from the government, others are awarded double scholarships by the secretariat.
Consequently, the controversy has stirred up public outrage, with some calling for the interdiction and dismissal of the registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Dr. Kingsley Agyemang.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) says it has been investigating the Secretariat since July last year.
According to the OSP, the Secretariat is one of the institutions it is actively investigating for corruption and corruption-related activities.
“The Office of the Special Prosecutor commenced investigations into suspected corruption and corruption-related offences at the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat circa July 2023. The investigation is active and ongoing,” the OSP said.