Vice-Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Prof. Abednego Feehi Okoe Amartey has highlighted the practice of using limited resources to sponsor students to higher education in foreign countries as a cause of GetFund’s deepening debts.
Speaking at the third Policy dialogue on making the GetFund fit for its purpose at the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences, he expressed that a clear working policy must exist to focus on sponsoring Ghanaians within Ghana’s higher education institutions for programmes offered in Ghana.
According to him, the fund should be focused on sponsoring Ghanaians within the higher education institutions.
“There are people who can afford to pay for their education. For those students who can be found, some additional students cannot afford it. I think we should enrol these students and give the funds to these universities that can educate them instead of sending them abroad to read courses that are read here. We should only do so for students who want to read programmes that are not offered in Ghana.”
According to him, GetFund heavily relies on government funding resulting in the delay of infrastructual developments. He also pleaded with the government to review the statutory capping and realignment of the fund under Act 947 of 2017.
“The lack of independence and overreliance on the government funding has also been one of our key issues. I want to appeal to the government that the capping on the GetFund be removed. For education alone, they should take it out. There are huge debts we have to pay and when we are left with insufficient funds too, [it makes the situation worse].”
In conclusion, Prof. Amartey acknowledged the contributions made by the fund to the various higher education institutions.
“Of course, we have to note that the fund has made some contributions and helped with some infrastructure, student development and faculty researcdevelopment GetFund gave us the necessary support in the time that we needed it .”
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Story by : Michelle Lartey | univers.ug.edu.gh
