Alex Kwaku Asafo Agyei, Registrar of the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat, has issued a firm warning to Ghanaian scholarship beneficiaries studying at universities in the United Kingdom.
Speaking in a recent interview on Onua TV with Capt Smart monitored by Kumasimail, Asafo Agyei cautioned that any student engaging in unnecessary agitations or demonstrations risks having their scholarships revoked.
Asafo Agyei emphasized the importance of scholars returning to Ghana to contribute their acquired knowledge.
“A lot of the PhD students, after completing their studies abroad, want to stay there, but it is Ghana that bears the cost of their education. If a graduated student comes to any university in Ghana to lecture and instill the knowledge acquired abroad here, is that wrong?”, he rhetorically asked.
Asafo Agyei recounted a conversation with the Vice Chancellor of Birmingham City University, who is of Nigerian descent.
The Vice Chancellor advised Ghana to avoid repeating Nigeria’s historical error of sending many students abroad who never return home after completing their studies.
He remarked “After the meeting, he told me that we should not make the Nigerian mistake. Because Nigeria sent many students abroad to study, but most of those scholars did not return; the majority stayed there.
“So, it is like we have exported money to benefit the white man, and later we go begging for loans,” Asafo Agyei added.
He continued by expressing shock at the audacity of the students, stating, “After they stay abroad, they come back and say that while working, we still owe them stipends that we should pay, or else they will demonstrate.”
The Registrar also addressed recent unrest among Ghanaian students in the UK, who have staged protests over scholarship stipends and payments.
However, instead of allowing tensions to escalate, Asafo Agyei took proactive steps by meeting university officials, negotiating payment plans, and holding transparent town hall meetings with the students.
“Those UK students engaging in demonstrations have no basic understanding of the situation. I went to the UK, met with the universities, and arranged payment plans, which some universities have agreed to. I held a town hall meeting with the students, and none of them raised any objections. After that, we took pictures and videos,” he explained.
Yet, despite these efforts, Asafo Agyei accused some students of allegedly politicizing the issue, inciting protests supported by university resources such as buses and placards.
He said “Now, some want to play politics, so they instigated protests to the extent that some universities supported the protests by providing buses and placards.
“We wrote a strongly worded letter to them, telling them that the UK government does not entertain such activities and that they should not interfere in Ghana’s internal politics. They later apologized,” he emphasized.
The Registrar made it clear that the Secretariat will not tolerate disruptive behavior.
“If you don’t see yourself as a student but as a politician, you will instigate people to stage protests. I want to tell them that I, Kwaku Asafo Agyei, will not pick up the phone and tell them to exercise patience. The letter given to them clearly states that if they misconduct themselves, their scholarships will be withdrawn. We will simply cancel it,” he declared.
While firm on discipline, Asafo Agyei also showed empathy for Ghanaian students facing hardships in countries like Morocco and Russia.
He stressed “In other countries like Morocco and Russia. I haven’t been there, but I know there is debt, students are also agitating. Some are hungry, others have been evicted from their rooms, but I speak with them virtually. Yesterday, I engaged with the students in Russia virtually and gave them timelines for when they will receive some of the money because we are processing funds through the Bank of Ghana.”
Asafo Agyei urged the UK students to act responsibly and avoid actions that harm Ghana’s reputation abroad.
“You have met me one on one, attended meetings, and had your voices heard. Yet some choose to stir unrest. We will exercise our power.
What they are doing is not a legitimate right; it is evilness they want to perpetuate.”
Source :www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
