Ghanaian students studying on government scholarships at the University of Memphis in the United States are appealing to the government to urgently settle their outstanding tuition and accommodation fees to prevent further sanctions.
The students say the issue has persisted for several months, with the university demanding payment and warning of possible consequences if the outstanding fees are not settled.
One of the beneficiaries, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the students have been engaging the Scholarship Secretariat and other officials for help, but the efforts have so far produced no solution.
“We have some leaders who directly speak to them. There is a liaison in Washington who serves as the education head from Ghana to the USA, and he is the one who speaks on this issue and deals with it,” he said in an interview on Adom FMs morning show Dwaso Nsem.
However, he said the students had not seen any progress despite seeking assistance from the Scholarship Secretariat.
“Since we contacted them to help us, nothing has been able to come out of it,” he said.
Students have sought help since May
According to the beneficiary, the students began seeking urgent intervention in May after the university warned them to settle their outstanding fees.
“We started seeking help from May when the school warned us to pay,” he said.
He explained that a similar situation occurred earlier in the year but was resolved after authorities intervened.
“At the start of the year, in January, it happened and the authorities did something about it, so the situation came down. But this time around, no one has come to help us,” he said.
The students, he added, are uncertain about what has caused the latest difficulty.
“We don’t know what has caused this problem,” he said.
Students fear being forced to return home
The beneficiary said the financial crisis could have serious consequences for students at different stages of their programmes.
He explained that some beneficiaries are close to completing their studies, while others still have more time left on their programmes.
“Some of us are left with our final semester. Some came in 2024 and 2025. Those doing their master’s have the last group who will finish in December, while some undergraduate students have about two years to go,” he said.
He appealed to the government, the Foreign Affairs Ministry and other relevant authorities to intervene before the situation escalates.
“We urge the government, the Foreign Affairs Minister and all the rightful authorities to come to our aid because this is a very important issue between Ghana and the US,” he said.
He warned that failure to resolve the matter could lead to the students being sent back to Ghana, which he fears could damage Ghana’s reputation.
“If they don’t do anything about it, they may bring us back home, and it will be a bad name for us,” he said.
He added that such an outcome could also affect other Ghanaian students who plan to pursue their education in the United States.
“It could even put a bad tag on Ghanaians, especially those who are planning to come here to study,” he said.
The beneficiary therefore appealed directly to President John Dramani Mahama and the relevant government officials, including the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, to act urgently.
“We urge the President and Ablakwa to do something for us, otherwise we will have a big problem,” he said.
The appeal comes after the affected students said the University of Memphis had issued notices demanding payment of their outstanding fees.
UG extends admissions for selected Information and Communication Studies programmes
