Students call for action on loan trust

Accra, Nov. 10, GNA - The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) on Wednesday called on the government and stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Students Loan Trust (SLT) to expedite action on the scheme to alleviate the suffering of students.

The students also called for amendment to the GETFund Act to make the scheme more responsive to the actual needs of students.

Mr. Abubakari Forgor, NUGS President addressing a press conference in Accra, being the first since the new executives took office, was to convey the new image and vision of the union.

Mr Forgor said the amendment of the GETFund Act would empower the fund to cater for the needs of accredited private institutions that were struggling to supplement the over-burdened public educational system. He said the Fund should be used stocking libraries, computer centres, laboratory equipment and supplementing tuition fee rather than investing in immovable assets.

Mr Forgor also said the NUGS wanted to create a new corporate image for itself and to move away from the bygone days of open confrontation with government, school authorities and others stakeholders to that of dialogue and non-violent approach to issues.

" We would appeal, in the spirit of this new NUGS orientation, to government, school authorities and other partners to respond positively to our overture by engaging student leadership at all levels in dialogue on all students issues".

He however cautioned that NUGS decision to adopt dialogue must never be misconstrued as NUGS saying good-bye to "ALUTA", adding that, they would resort to it as its last weapon to save national interest when dialogue and all avenues were exhausted.

He commended the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) for calling off their strike action.

Mr Forgor further appealed to all political parties to be tolerant of one another in their quest for power and should not disturb the peace.

He called on all institutional authorities to suspend all forms of assessment between December 5 and 8, to allow students move to their respective stations to cast their votes.