The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has described the 2% discount offered by the University of Ghana on the 15% fee increment as inadequate.
The Council of the University of Ghana approved the one-time discount for the 2022/2023 academic year following an impasse between UG Management, NUGS, and the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) over the fee increase.
The decision came after stakeholders and the Parliamentary Select Committee on Education called on the university to consider offering a discount to lessen the burden on students.
Reacting to the development, the President of NUGS, Dennis Appiah Larbi-Ampofo, expressed disappointment, stating that “the student body was expecting a 5% reduction in fees.
He further explained that NUGS had made a strong case to GTEC and Parliament that the justification for the fee increase by the university was not acceptable as it went beyond the threshold”. He added that the 2% reduction was not sufficient and fell short of their expectations.
In response, a member of the Communications team of the University of Ghana, Professor Ransford Gyampo, urged NUGS to commend the university for the discount and to also call on other universities in the country to follow suit.
He argued that if NUGS is truly interested in championing the interest of students in Ghana, they should make a similar appeal to other universities to reduce their fees by 2%.
The discount applies to full fee-paying programs, programs at the Accra City Campus, and distance education programs.
It remains to be seen how NUGS will respond to Professor Gyampo’s comments and whether they will call for further reductions in fees
SOURCE: Coverghana.com.gh
