Graduate students threaten nationwide 'demo' over unpaid research allowances

Gideon Nicholas Day

April 10, 2024 4:35 PM

Graduate students from various universities across Ghana are on the brink of organizing a nationwide demonstration to protest against the government's failure to disburse research allowances owed to them for over two years.

Some Graduate students threaten demo over unpaid reserach allowances

The Graduate Student Association of Ghana (Grasag), representing students from institutions such as the University of Ghana, University of Health and Allied Sciences, and University of Professional Studies Accra, issued a stern ultimatum to the government in a press conference held at the University of Ghana on April 10, 2024.

President of the University of Ghana GRASAG, Angsongna Claudius, addressed the media, emphasizing the urgent need for the government to respond within a week.

Leaders of Graduate students from various universities across Ghana Pulse Ghana

He warned that if no action is taken, they will proceed with a nationwide demonstration and continue holding press conferences to amplify their grievances.

Claudius stressed the detrimental impact of delayed allowances on their academic pursuits, urging all stakeholders to prioritize and support their research endeavors.

"We demand a response from the government within a week. In the absence of any response, we will be left with no choice but to organize a nationwide demonstration,"

"For approximately three years now, graduate students have been deprived of any governmental support to conduct research. This hindrance severely impedes our ability to contribute significantly to the advancement of knowledge and national development."

Inscriptions that carried message to the government as Graduate students threaten demonstration over unpaid reserach allowances Pulse Ghana

The association expressed profound dissatisfaction with the Scholarship Secretariat's persistent delays in disbursing research grants, despite assurances to the contrary.

They called upon the director of the Secretariat to promptly address the issue and fulfill their obligation to support research initiatives in Ghana.

"We will never stop until we receive our rightful allowances, and we demand nothing less than what is owed to us," Claudius said.

He criticized the government's allocation of resources to projects like the National Cathedral, suggesting that priorities should be reevaluated to ensure adequate support for education and research.

" We will never stop until we are paid this abysmal, and we call for an increment any less than that we will accept again. As I said, there are a lot of policies, a lot of projects prioritise to the detriment of graduate education. We are in this country where we believe that we can bring heaven to Ghana, where we strongly believe that building a National Cathedral will solve every single problem in this country. As we speak the National Cathedral is now a breeding ground for mosquitoes. And going forward the prevalence of malaria is going to increase in this country.

The Graduate Student Association of Ghana urged the press and all stakeholders to rally behind their cause, highlighting the critical role of media in advocating for their rights.

With tensions escalating, the government faces mounting pressure to resolve the longstanding issue of unpaid research allowances known as bursaries, lest it sparks nationwide unrest among graduate students.

Some of the students spoke to pulse.com.gh, watch here.