Re: 51 Ghanaian students on government scholarship cry over neglect in India

The attention of the Ghana High Commission in New Delhi, India has been drawn to a publication dated 31st March, 2020 on Ghana web's online portal to the effect that 51 Ghanaian Students on Government scholarship in India have been neglected.

The Ghana High Commission wishes to respond to the allegations levelled by the writer(s) as follows:

(I) The Ghana High Commission is no party to the determination of stipends and related allowances to Ghanaian students in India;

(ii) The Ghana High Commission does not disburse funds of the Scholarship Secretariat unless authorised by the secretariat. It is therefore untrue that the Mission received any instruction from the Secretariat to pay the students six months stipends but chose to pay three months. The truth is that, as at the time of writing this response, the High Commission had been requested by the Secretariat to pay the students three months stipends;

(iii) Like every Ghana Diplomatic Mission Abroad, the Ghana High Commission in India cannot put public funds into any interest yielding venture without the prior approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration. Indeed, no money has been invested by the Mission to warrant such an accusation.

(iv) Like the students, The High Commission learnt about the nationwide lockdown in India in the news media from the address of the Prime Minster of the country, H. E. Narendra Modi. Same was communicated later, in writing, to the Diplomatic community by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Perhaps the writer(s) may wish to provide evidence that the High Commission had "prior notification about the lockdown but deliberately chose not to release the student's stipends nor provide alternate help to the students".

2. Maybe, the offence of the High Commission was to intervene and assist the students to transfer from Godavari Institute of Engineering and Technology (GIET) in Rajamundry, Andra Pradesh when their crises got to the attention of the Mission.

3. As alluded to by the writer(s), when the situation of the students came to the attention of the High Commission, the High Commissioner, H. E. Michael A. N.N. Oquaye Jnr. dispatched an officer who, together with an official of the Scholarship Secretariat went to Rajamundry to assess the situation and report. Subsequently, the High Commissioner met with the management of a number of reputable private universities in India to plead with them to admit the students. It was this process, and his discussions with the registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, Mr. Kingsley Agyeman that led to Lovely Professional University (LPU) to agree to accept the students. As part of the agreement, The University waived the entire fees of the students for the year.

4. The delay in remitting the students their stipends is largely due to their inability to open bank accounts in India at the moment and the eventual lockdown of the country due to the COVID-19 situation.

5. According to the visa laws of India, any foreign student studying in any educational institution in the country, is required to exit the country and re-apply for a new visa if for any reason that student has to transfer to another institution. What the Mission did however, was to apply in bulk to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the Ministry of External Affairs for the students to be given special dispensation and their visa status regularized without them having to leave India. Unfortunately, the process was not complete before the Government of India suspended all visa issues following the COVID-19 situation and subsequently, the lockdown.

6. The Mission will continue to pursue the matter and ensure that the students have their visa status regularized. Once that is done, the students will be able to open bank accounts to enable their stipend situation to be resolved.

7. As it stands now, the issue is not the quantum of money nor the period of stipends due the students. What is at stake is how to make the students comfortable till the situation normalises. To that extent, the High Commission and the Scholarship Secretariat are working with the leadership of the students and the university to see how best to assist them during this difficult period.

8. In conclusion, the High Commission wishes to stress that the allegations made by the writer(s) against the Mission are completely false and bear no appreciation of the Mission's efforts and the hurdles that need realistic time to surmount.