Absorption of tertiary fees: 'It’s a shame NPP MPs voted against Ayariga's motion' - Dumelo

The 2020 Parliamentary Candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress, John Dumelo has described Parliament's rejection of the absorption of the 2021 tertiary fees as unfortunate.

Mr Dumelo in a tweet sighted by GhanaWeb indicated that the move did not pull through as the majority of New Patriotic Party Members of Parliament were against it.

It can be recalled that the MP Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, filed a motion before parliament demanding the absorption of fees for all public tertiary institutions and an extension of support to private universities for the 2021 academic year citing the hardship and loss of jobs created by Coronavirus in the country as reasons why students should be offered some form of financial support.

But, on January 28, 2021, parliament through a voice vote rejected Mr Ayariga’s private member motion.

Reacting to parliament’s unanimous decision, John Dumolo had this to say:

“It’s a shame NPP MPs voted against the suspension of tertiary fees. Covid has affected many businesses negatively hence the inability for families to afford fees for their wards. Students risk deferring this semester…”

In an earlier report by GhanaWeb, some tertiary students who took to social media to register their displeasure noted that they were disappointed in MPs who voted against the motion.

Mr Ayariga following the parliaments' decision in an interview on Eyewitness News said the rejection of his motion took him by surprise.

“I am very scandalized by their approach. It is not all the time that when you are trying to solve a problem, you throw money at it. You can solve a problem by throwing efficiency and prudent management at it.

"You cannot use the 2019 economy condition fees in a 2020 pandemic economy so let’s reconsider these fees, and they said no. Let’s say government should absorb it, I agree that we should use the word absorb instead of suspend, we suspended it then they came back and said the motion is incompetent and against the constitution.”

Below is John Dumelo's tweet:

It’s a shame Npp Mp’s voted against the suspension of tertiary fees. Covid has affected many business’s negatively hence the inability for families to afford fees for their wards. Students risk deferring this semester......

— MrDumelo (@johndumelo1) January 28, 2021