The leadership of Ghana Scholarships Secretariat-sponsored PhD students in the United Kingdom has rejected a proposed oath-taking exercise announced by the Ghana High Commission, describing it as unnecessary, discriminatory and inconsistent with existing scholarship conditions.
The students said they had already signed bond forms committing them to return to Ghana after completing their studies, and therefore questioned why an additional oath was required.
In a statement issued on Friday, August 7, the students said the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat’s annual progress review had traditionally been conducted through academic assessments and the submission of scholarship and academic records.
They said the process had largely been carried out online because beneficiaries were studying at universities across different parts of the UK.
The students therefore expressed concern over a directive circulating on social media inviting them to attend a physical oath-taking exercise at unspecified locations.
They also linked their objection to outstanding scholarship payments, alleging that some beneficiaries had gone for several months without receiving tuition payments and stipends.
According to the students, the financial difficulties had become so severe that some beneficiaries had reportedly been evicted from their accommodation.
They consequently argued that requiring students to travel to physical venues for validation would place an additional financial burden on them.
The students further rejected what they described as an interpretation of Section 11 of the Oaths Act, 1972 (NRCD 6), suggesting that the law does not specifically require Ghanaian scholarship beneficiaries in the UK to swear an oath before a diplomat.
They also described the proposed exercise as discriminatory because, according to them, Ghanaian students in the UK receiving scholarships from organisations such as the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) were not included.
The student leadership has therefore advised its members to boycott the exercise until their concerns are addressed.
Among their demands are a clear timetable for settling outstanding tuition fees and stipends, an assurance that students will not be required to return to Ghana before their financial obligations are settled, and measures to facilitate their reintegration into the Ghanaian job market after graduation.
They are also calling for any validation exercise to be conducted online to reduce costs and have requested that students receive copies of documents they sign.
