The Ghana High Commission in the United Kingdom will proceed with a planned verification and oath-taking exercise for Ghanaian PhD students sponsored by the Ghana Scholarships Authority (GSA), despite objections from representatives of the beneficiaries.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sabah Zita Benson, has defended the exercise, arguing that it falls within the provisions of the scholarship agreements signed by the beneficiaries.
The planned exercise has sparked disagreement between the government and some UK-based PhD scholarship recipients, who have described the requirement as discriminatory and unnecessary.
The student leadership argues that beneficiaries have already signed scholarship bonds committing them to return to Ghana after completing their studies and therefore questions the need for an additional oath-taking exercise.
However, ZitaBenson, in a Facebook statement on Friday, August 7, maintained that the government has the authority to undertake the verification and other measures necessary to ensure compliance with the terms of the scholarship agreements.
She cited the bond issued under former GSA Registrar Kingsley Agyemang, which, according to her, requires beneficiaries to comply with requirements introduced by the Authority, including surveys and evaluation exercises.
She also pointed to a provision requiring scholarship beneficiaries to return to Ghana within two months after completing their programmes.
According to the High Commissioner, the agreement further provides that beneficiaries who fail to meet their obligations could become liable for the scholarship funds they received and may be required to reimburse the state.
Dispute over students’ demands
Zita Benson’s comments come after the student leadership raised concerns about the new verification and oath-taking requirement.
The students have also reportedly called for outstanding tuition and stipend obligations to be settled, with some demanding that these payments be fully resolved before they are expected to return to Ghana.
They have further sought assurances regarding their reintegration into Ghana’s labour market after completing their studies.
The High Commissioner, however, rejected the demand for guaranteed reintegration, saying such an obligation was not contained in the scholarship bond signed by the beneficiaries.
“In the bond they signed, I see no obligation by Government to reintegrate them into society,” she said.
Madam Benson also questioned why some of the concerns being raised by the students were not brought forward while Mr Agyemang was still heading the GSA, particularly given that the scholarships were awarded between 2020 and 2025.
High Commission rejects retroactivity claims
The High Commissioner also disputed suggestions that the oath-taking requirement was being imposed retrospectively on beneficiaries.
Zita Benson maintained that the exercise was within the GSA’s mandate and was intended to ensure that recipients of public funding comply with their contractual obligations.
“The Ghana High Commission, acting on behalf of the GSA, shall go ahead with the planned verification and oath-taking,” she stated.
She said the exercise was being undertaken in the interest of Ghanaian taxpayers, who ultimately finance the scholarship programme.
“We have our reasons for this exercise, and it is in the interest of the taxpayers for us to ensure that we do the right thing even though a huge mess was previously created,” Madam Benson added.
The High Commissioner further warned that the government would not be pressured into cancelling the exercise, stressing that beneficiaries of state-funded scholarships were expected to honour the conditions attached to the financial support.
The dispute is therefore likely to continue as preparations for the verification and oath-taking exercise proceed, with the two sides maintaining differing interpretations of the obligations contained in the scholarship agreements.
