The Minority Caucus in Parliament has urged the Government to immediately settle outstanding tuition fees owed to Ghanaian students studying at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, under the Ghana Scholarship Secretariat. The call follows a petition submitted by the affected students, who alleged that fees for the 2024, 2025 and part of the 2026 academic years remain unpaid. The situation has resulted in the University withholding their academic records, including transcripts and certificates, pending settlement of the arrears.
Speaking on behalf of the Caucus, Hon. Hajia Fatahiya Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Ranking Member on Gender and the Member of Parliament for Savelugu, described the development as deeply troubling. She said the State must honour the commitments made in its name, noting that the students travelled abroad under the government’s sponsorship and not on personal ventures. “These young men and women left Ghana with the assurance that their financial obligations would be met by the Republic. That assurance was not a favour, but a promise made in the name of Ghana. Today, they face humiliation and uncertainty because that promise has not been kept,” she said.
The petition revealed that the students’ visas expired on January 30, 2026, and attempts to secure graduate visas under the UK’s post-study work arrangement were declined due to unsettled tuition obligations. This has placed them at risk of deportation despite having met academic requirements, she said.
The Minority Caucus expressed concern that the situation undermined Ghana’s credibility in the international academic community. It warned that neglecting financial obligations eroded confidence in scholarship programmes and jeopardised opportunities for future Ghanaian students abroad. The Caucus highlighted that beyond reputational damage, the hardships being endured by the affected students could be traumatic.
The Caucus noted that most of the students had exhausted personal savings, with some resorting to food banks to meet basic needs, while struggling to pay for accommodation and other essential expenses. The students, the petition said, engaged the Scholarship Secretariat and the Ghana High Commission in London, where they were assured of resolution. In a demonstration of sacrifice, they even agreed to forfeit certain stipends to enable the payment of their tuition fees, however, months had passed without action.
The Minority, therefore, called on the Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs to urgently engage the University of Birmingham through diplomatic channels to secure temporary relief for the students while the financial issues are resolved. It also demanded a comprehensive review of the Scholarship Secretariat’s operations to address structural and managerial weaknesses. “The dignity of Ghanaian students abroad must be protected, and the credibility of our scholarship programmes preserved.
The word of the Ghanaian State must remain a guarantee that can be trusted,” Hajia Abdul Aziz emphasised, urging swift government intervention to safeguard the future of the affected students and Ghana’s investment in human capital.
