Minister for Youth Development and Empowerment, George Opare Addo, has confirmed that the government is working to resolve a massive ¢700 million scholarship debt owed to educational institutions around the world.
Appearing on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, July 22, Mr Opare Addo revealed that the government inherited the financial burden and is now under pressure to negotiate with affected institutions to avoid further threats to Ghanaian students abroad.
“The current bill that I have is over ¢700 million in debt that we have to find money to pay,” he disclosed, noting that some schools have issued ultimatums to evict students due to unpaid fees.
“There is a debt of fees that we have across the world. And so my registrar now has to go around the world and negotiate with schools… I keep sending him, go here, go there, because you keep getting threats all over the world, ‘We are going to sack your students’,” he added.
The Minister emphasized that the situation affects real lives and cannot be ignored. “It involves Ghanaian students; it involves lives. It involves our citizens. And so we must find the money to pay,” he stressed.
While acknowledging that the government doesn’t have ¢700 million in hand, Mr Opare Addo praised the collaboration between his office, the Finance Minister, and the Chief of Staff, stating: “We are working closely to offset the debt… So yes, we will pay, but we have to negotiate.”
Some institutions, he said, have been patient, understanding that the current administration inherited the issue. “Some have been very understanding, and they know that we are a new government that has come in. We inherited these problems, and so we are aligning and fixing them gradually,” he explained.
Addressing reports of students being ordered to leave school premises, Mr Opare Addo acknowledged the developments but blamed the past administration. “You can’t blame this government for the mess we inherited. Most of these things have been outstanding for a year or two,” he said.
To get clarity on the situation, the ministry is conducting an audit. “We are also doing an audit of the true states. A lot of the students have opted out. We held a meeting with some of them in London and gave them some options,” he revealed.
He disclosed that students who had completed their programs but remained abroad were not entitled to further stipends. “If I pay your fees, you must come back and help. So, do you want to stay? If you are going to stay there, I’m not going to pay your stipends,” he stated.
The audit, he added, would help uncover discrepancies in the figures. “A lot of the figures, when you delve into them, show that there are discrepancies… But as of now, the bill we have seated on our tables is over ¢700 million,” Mr Opare Addo concluded.
