May 1st, 2020 at 06:40 am
A group of student leaders from the various tertiary institutions across the country has hit hard on the Student Loan Trust Fund(SLTF) for delaying and non payment of the student loan.
Their sentiment was bank on the distractions and frustrations the delay in disbursement of the Student loan is causing on their various campuses.
The group didn’t stop at expressing their disappointment in the SLTF scheme but also posed some mind bugling questions to the 12 trustee membership board of SLTF, hold them to tasks and call for a swift intervention for a positive outcome.
A 5 working days Ultimatum has been giving by the group to pay the beneficiaries or hit the street to exhibit their displeasure.
Read below for the main release…
PRESS RELEASE
STUDENTS LOAN TRUST FUND HAS FAILED GHANAIAN STUDENTS
COALITION OF SRC/L/NUGS PRESIDENTS ACROSS GHANA TERTIARY INSTITUTION, CALL ON SLTF TO IMMEDIATELY DISBURSE MONEY TO ITS BENEFICIARIES (GIVEN 5 WORKING DAYS ULTIMATUM )
It is not surprising to see the number of student beneficiaries intake in SLTF persistently increases at various tertiary institutions across Ghana. It is not surprising because the increment has continued ever since the implementation of the SLTF in 2005 at the ministry of education and the SLTF Board has always performed at their very best to meet the students’ demand.
It is arguable fact that, so many students over the years have successfully completed swimming in the mercies and favor of the initiative. However, SLTF has impacted nationwide through it’s physical presence and so many have successfully completed their various courses in their respective tertiary institutions through the support and help given to them by the SLTF initiative. It is, therefore, an upstanding and incarnation of success and joy in the academic lives of many students across the country for years now.
Lately, SLTF is causing more harm than good to Ghanaian students. It is highly incomprehensible and inexplicable why SLTF always release funds at a time where the purpose to which the fund was in demand, gets evaporated.
Late release of funds has now become “a dime a dozen” within the executions of the SLTF lately which brings about academic, emotional, and mental drawbacks on beneficiaries who are thence humiliated by school authorities due to owing of fees hence being restricted from academic exercises like writing of Midtrims, not being entitled to key academic activities, Differed courses and others.
Our question is, What are the 12 stakeholders of the SLTF doing about this? What has actually change? we know the 12 Trustee membership board consists of 4 appointed representatives by the president of the Republic of Ghana, the chief executive officer of SLTF and 7 institutional representatives. Which are attorneys general department, Ghana employment association, National union of Ghana students, ministry of education, social security and insurance trust, national council for tertiary education and Ghana education trust fund.
Looking closely at the board managing SLTF, it is pathetic to see Ghanaian students going through pains, bleeds and suffering, Hence leading students to Deferred courses, not entitled to basic academic materials and activities among others.
Ghana education trust fund (GetFund) is having a percentage of 2 and a half , in all the taxes of the Value added Tax. However this two and half percent tax going to GetFund from the Value added Tax every month, is to supplement government effort for the provision of educational infrastructure of public sector pre-tertiary and tertiary institution in Ghana.
Apart from that, 10% of the GetFund also goes to support some aspects of the agencies and institutions like SLTF. Which this is supervised by the ministry of education. To go further, how the money is shared from GetFund to SLTF for disbursement to scheme beneficiaries.
October 29, 2019
The CEO of SLTF Nana Kwaku Agyei Yeboah
said the fund needed about GH¢200 million for the 2020/2021 academic year, explaining that the Act that set up the scheme, was supposed to get ten percent 10% of all inflows to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), but currently received about four to five percent 4 to 5% besides the one percent 1% it received from the telecommunications service tax (CST) isn’t coming from the ministry of finance. But why is GETFUND now giving the fund only 5% instead of the 10%.
We plead that, the President of the Republic should quickly look into this matter, as it has become a burden on tertiary students across the Nation.
We the Coalition of SRC/local NUGS presidents across Ghana, is sick and tired of the flimsy excuses from the management of the Student loan Trust Fund. Hitting the street to exhibit our displeasure to the authorities is the next step.
As Coalition, we are giving the management of SLTF, 5 working days to do the needful (disburse the money), Before any inconveniences.
Read these lines again. On this NOTE, the coalition is giving SLTF Board a 5 working days ultimatum to pay students beneficiaries.
SIGN
1. HAMZA UMAR
NUGS PRESIDENT UDS WA CAMPUS
0243851815 / 0200779998
2: DESMOND K. AMANIAMPONG
UEW-W NUGS PRESIDENT
0545995885 / 0207878611
3. JUSTICE ALEXANDER
L/NUGS PRESIDENT UEW KUMASI CAMPUS
0244229983 / 0558439000
4. TUGLO-MAWULI MISHEAL KOFI
NUGS PRESIDENT UHAS HO CAMPUS
5 JOHN KORLEY DOTSER
SRC PRESIDENT UEW-M
0241575258/0591832045
6. JOHN SAMPANE
L/NUGS PRESIDENT UEW-MAMPONG
0541036088
7: MICHAEL ELORM ZAH
NUGS President GIJ
0553089585
8. KWAKU FOSU FRIMPONG
LNUGS PRESIDENT UENR
0240199553
9.GABRIEL AMOANOO
LNUGS PRESIDENT
UEW-A
0542499319
10. ADAM TANKO ISSAHAQ
LNUGS PRESIDENT
UDS NAVRONGO CAMPUS
0546559702
11. ACHIRE ADAM
UCC NUGS PRESIDENT
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
0542395609
12. MAHAMA USSIV
UDS TAMALE CAMPUS
0241120935