NUGS, SRC to bail out 3,000 deferred KNUST students

The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and the Students Representative Council (SRC) of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science Technology (KNUST) have declared their willingness to mobilise funds to pay the fees for 3000 out of the 6000 students deferred by the University for defaulting in fee payment.

According to the President of NUGS, Dennis Appiah Larbi, the Union is trying to mobilise funds to help the SRC pay for more students, with a target of about 3,000, and ensure that their deferment is reversed.

He disclosed that plans are far advanced for the remaining students as well, saying “the Association would ensure every student’s interest was met”.

“We have been able to negotiate with authorities for the deferment of the students to be annulled, once they are able to pay the arrears. We have also begun discussions with stakeholders, including the Ministry of Education, on the issue,” the NUGS President said in a media interview.

Assurance

Mr Larbi assured the students that the Association would do its best to ensure their deferment was reversed for them to return to campus.

“I can assure every student affected in this that NUGS and the SRC will work to ensure they return to campus and continue their studies,” he stressed.

He described the decision by the University to defer the students as “harsh”, adding that had infringed on the rights of the students to education.

“…Though we appreciate that the University needs these funds to run, measures like this go to the root and against our hope that education shall be a right and not a privilege,” he said.

More than 6,000 students of the KNUST have been deferred due to delays in payment of their fees. This was after the students could not pay their academic user fees, after an April 11, 2022 deadline.

Meanwhile, Dr Daniel Norris Bekoe, the University Relations Officer, has alleged that some of the affected students had invested their fees in various ventures, including online taxi services and gambling, and were waiting to recoup their investments to pay the fees.