Travails of a tertiary student

My name is Suleman Abdullai, a level 300 Distance Education student of University of Education, Winneba, Kumasi Campus, studying Bachelor of Business Administration (Human Resources Management).

I am also a teacher in an Islamic Private School where I earn Ghc 400.00 a month. From this money, I pay rent, bills, school fees and other expenses.

Last year March 2020, when COVID-19 struck and schools were closed down, I went home with no salary and have since not received a pesewa as salary. It took the timely interventions of some good Samaritans who came to my aid with some token throughout the lockdown.

As a taxpayer, no intervention came from the Government to me personally or to the school I worked for, which could have been extended to me like governments in other jurisdictions have been doing for its taxpayers. It was each one for himself, God for us all.

Schools from the Basic Level to the Tertiary level have been reopened and as a tertiary student, my next headache is how to pay my school fees. I am yet to receive my first salary as a private school teacher after 10months and my little savings has been eaten to the bone.

The businesses of my good Samaritans are in distress. From afar, it is obvious things are not going well for them as a result of the negative impact COVID-19 has had on Businesses hence I cannot fall on them.

I became extremely happy when I read a motion filed in Parliament of Ghana by Hon. Mahama Ayariga, which he sought the support of Parliament to suggest to Government to take steps to absorb the fees for all public tertiary students for this academic year.

It is undeniable fact that the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the finance of both parents and students are very damning. People are indeed stressed. Businesses have collapsed and many jobs have been lost as a result of this deadly pandemic.

As I was patiently waiting to hear unanimous decision by Parliament in support of this all-important motion, that would have aided me and many more students of my kind to ease the headache of payment of school fees, I got the shock of my life when NPP MPs in the August House spoke and shot the motion down.

Meanwhile, the Student Loan Trust Fund has for some time now not been disbursing money to students. I stand to be corrected, more than 70% students on the Trust have not received a pesewa for a whole academic year.

I refuse to accept the numerous lame excuses from the people's representative considering the amount of money government has received into its coffers.

Government has so far received;

1Billion US Dollars from IMF

100Million US Dollars from World Bank

69Million Dollars from African Development Bank

10Billion Ghana Cedis from Bank of Ghana

And over 200Million Ghana Cedis in the COVID-19 Trust Fund.

If government could secure all these monies, some of which are loans to be paid by Ghanaians including you and I as students and our parents, why can't government support us in these difficult times with these monies? What has Government used this huge sum of money for?

Remember, these monies were advanced to Ghana as part of World COVID-19 Alleviation Program. It is meant to support businesses and citizens who have been hardly hit by this pandemic. Governments in other jurisdictions have absorbed the fees of students and continue to give stipends to all its citizens every month ever since this pandemic started.

Are these the group of people who always claim to have Ghanaians at heart and wish every Ghanaian child is -educated? I just cannot understand why the NPP MPs could be so heartless and callous. Where lies the working together for the interest of ordinary Ghanaian Nana Akufo Addo and his MPs have been preaching? I just can't get it!!!

If you are a Ghanaian Student, I will be very disappointed if you keep mute over this issue. These MPs are our representative and must serve our interest and not that of their political leaders.

My soul and that of many of my kind shall never forgive all Members of Parliament who voted against this motion that has put others and I in a tight corner and state of confusion as to how to settle our fees. May they never return to Parliament after the 8th Parliament.