Youth Development and Empowerment Minister has disclosed that the government inherited a staggering GH¢700 million in unpaid scholarship debt.
George Opare Addo described the situation as a "bad, bad, bad mess" that threatens the future of Ghanaian students abroad and the country's international standing.
Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, the Minister revealed that the debt burden solely from the Scholarship Secretariat has left the new administration scrambling to rescue stranded students and mend broken agreements with foreign institutions. "The current bill that I have is over ¢700 million in debt that we have to find money to pay," he said. "There is a debt of fees that we have across the world.
And so my registrar now has to go around the world and negotiate with schools, and that is what we've been undertaking in the last four, five months." The pressure to settle the arrears is relentless. "You keep getting threats all over the world: 'We are going to sack your students'.
