Student Activist and majority leader of the University of Ghana Parliament House, Justice Alor has described the 2% discount on the 2022/2023 academic year approved fees to some categories of students by the university as insignificant.
The University Of Ghana had approved a one-time discount for some students for the 2022/2023 academic year. A statement which was released by the University’s Public Affairs Directorate on Monday, May 7th 2023, explained that the discount resulted from an appeal presented by the Parliament Select Committee om Education to consider offering discount to some students with respect to the nationwide economic challenges.
Students of some selected programmes were given the one-time discount of 2% on the 15% increased fees; these are students in the Full Fee paying Programmme, Programmes at the Accra City Campus and Distance Education Programmes.
Speaking to UniversNews, Justice Alor expressed disappointment over the percentage of the fee discount. He revealed that he was expecting a better discount figure when news of a proposed discount came about.
“Honestly, I mean, now when I heard rumors about a proposed discount, I was thinking that something significant was actually going to come from the university council. So, I was waiting for an official statement from the university council, and then hopefully it came to be, then in reading the statements. I was like, wow, 2% of 15%? But when you look at a percentage for the discount, it is insignificant.”
Justice Alor however acknowledged the effort of the University council in implementing the 2% fee discount on the 15% fee increment, even though he considered it insignificant.
He was glad that the University had prioritised the interest of students in the phase of a national economic crisis.
He still went on to point out that the discount percentage has been considered insignificant by various students on social media.
“It’s a good thing that the university council has taken a look at the fact that we are experiencing economic crisis and has impacted various aspects of our life. But when you look at a percentage for the discount, honestly, you hear most students on various social media platforms. All they are saying is that the percentage is very, very insignificant. And looking at the fact that the percentage or the discount is not covering all students, but it is just covering some groups of student, I think the regular student at the University of Ghana are not currently happy, and I believe that the percentage is not fair as well. It is a good job that the university council has done, but then it is very, very insignificant”.
Justice Alor suggested a discount of 5 to 7% whilst including the entire student population.
This, according to him, would be much more significant and effective to students.
“It’s too early to call, but then I think something like 5 to 7% would have been very significant. 5 to 7% would have been very significant. And if it was covering every student at the University of Ghana at this particular point, it would have been very, very significant and we would have really applauded.”
Meanwhile, the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has also described the 2% discount on the 15% fee increment as inadequate. In an interview on Accra-based Citi FM, the President of NUGS, Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo, revealed that the student body was expecting a 5% reduction.
In opposition, Professor Ransford Gyampo, a member of the Communications team at the University of Ghana stated that the institution deserves commendation for its actions.
Story by |Cindy Humade | univers.ug.edu.gh
