Students Loan Trust Fund Has Failed Ghanaian Students
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 an arguable fact that, many students over the years have successfully completed swimming in the mercies and favor of the initiative.
However, SLTF has impacted nationwide through its 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 the purpose, to which the fund was in demand of, gets evaporated and issue get out of hand.
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 / mid semester, quizzes, end of semester/trim exams, 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 consist 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 entitle to basic academic materials and activities among others .
Ghana education trust fund (GetFund) is having a percentage of 2 and 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 per cent 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.
A legion of concerns and complains has
been raised in the past, lot of article has been written by aggrieved students and so on and so forth.
We the Coalition of local NUGS/SRC presidents across Ghana are not here to rehash the problem and challenges but we want the SLTF as a matter of urgency disburse the fund to the scheme beneficiaries, so that, they can pay their school fees, hostel and other important things that would give them the sound mind for effective studies.
However, we 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
- HAMZA UMAR
NUGS PRESIDENT UDS WA CAMPUS
0243851815 / 0200779998
2: DESMOND K. AMANIAMPONG
UEW-W NUGS PRESIDENT
0545995885 / 0207878611 - JUSTICE ALEXANDER L/NUGS PRESIDENT UEW KUMASI CAMPUS
0244229983 / 0558439000 - TUGLO-MAWULI MISHEAL KOFI
NUGS PRESIDENT UHAS HO CAMPUS
5 JOHN KORLEY DOTSER
SRC PRESIDENT UEW-M
0241575258/0591832045 - JOHN SAMPANE
L/NUGS PRESIDENT UEW-MAMPONG
0541036088
7: MICHAEL ELORM ZAH
NUGS President GIJ
0553089585 - KWAKU FOSU FRIMPONG
LNUGS PRESIDENT UENR
0240199553 - GABRIEL AMOANOO
LNUGS PRESIDENT
UEW-A
0542499319 - ADAM TANKO ISSAHAQ
LNUGS PRESIDENT
UDS NAVRONGO CAMPUS
0546559702 - ACHIRE ADAM
UCC NUGS PRESIDENT
UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST
0542395609 - MAHAMA USSIV
UDS TAMALE CAMPUS
0241120935 - ADJEI BOAKYE
0552905813
AGGRIEVED SLTF BENEFICIARY
OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION
OFFICE OF THE MINISTER OF FINACE
SECIAL SECURITY AND INSURANCE TRUST
NATIONAL UNION OF GHANA STUDENTS
UNIVERSITY STUDENT ASSOCIATION OF GHANA
ATTORNEYS GENERAL DEPARTMENT
GHANA EMPLOYMENT ASSOCIATION
GHANA EDUCATION TRUST FUND
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA.
