The President of students undertaking PhD studies abroad on Government scholarship, Prince Komla Bansah, has expressed worry over a number of students in international schools on Government scholarships who are in danger of being deported over unpaid fees.
According to Prince Komla Bansah, out of 110 students, about 15-17 of them are facing deportation as they have been withdrawn from their schools due to arrears in their tuition fees.
Speaking on Joy News on Tuesday August 26, Mr. Bansah explained, “15 or 17 are actually on the red list which means they are potentially facing deportation because they’ve been withdrawn from their schools and some of them have been suspended, and they do not even have access to the university portals so they cannot even submit their thesis.”
He gave an example of a gentleman whose was scheduled for deportation today due to unpaid fees, and although payment was finally made after constant pressure, it was too late.
“Friday, I had to put more pressure, Monday was a bank holiday in the UK, so today I was going back and forth and fortunately they managed to remit the money to the school. Now the school is saying that they’ve given him enough time and that he definitely has to leave the country. So I’m still pressing some buttons to see how we can assist this particular student,” he said.
He said the administrators of the scholarship need to understand that the institutions abroad do not operate like those in Ghana.
“The operational mechanisms of the UK institutions are completely different from Ghana. So, if the home office issues a VISA withdrawal for anyone, that means the person has to leave the country. It doesn’t matter whether you pay the money or you don’t pay,” he stressed.
Welfare Officer for the international student body, Stella Mahama, also touched on how dangerous this situation can be, especially for females, as many of them are displaced.
“I will speak on the angle of my fellow females. Imagine you are asked out of your flat, and as a female you’re out there, you are highly vulnerable,” she expressed.
Stella Mahama also said that even though they are allowed to work for 20 hours per week, finding jobs is difficult and so is finding time to work due to their schedules.
“The whole PhD journey is so packed. And if you are saddled with the non-payment of school fees, it just throws you off. It is a serious situation for us students at the moment,” she added
“What we are made to understand is that the resources are not there at the moment and if it is not there what can they do as the High Commission, so it is a helpless situation for them too. So this is a passionate appeal to Government to come to our aid. If the High Commission is given some funds, students will also have some peace of mind.” Stella Mahama concluded.
