NPP has better plans for higher education students

Friday January 29, 2021 Policy

Source: Starr FM

2021-01-29

MP for Kwesimintsim and former director general of the National Curriculum and Assessment Council Prince Hamid Armah (PhD) said the New Patriotic Party has better plans for higher education students across the country .

In an opinion piece, Dr Hamid said the NPP has devised innovative solutions to the burden of higher education students that do not involve endangering the economy and are more sustainable.

His views come after Parliament on Thursday rejected a motion asking the government to pay all admission fees for college students for the academic year.

The NDC caucus backed the motion with arguments that the fee suspension was necessary because of the economic hardship imposed on parents by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the side of nuclear power plants, on the other hand, believes that such a measure would be unnecessary because the government has already provided enough support and interventions in the field of education due to the pandemic.

Below is Prince Hamid Armah (PhD) full statement article

NPP understands the difficulties of higher education students and has better plans to address them

After several postponements and disputes on its wording and competence, a private member’s motion in the name of the Honorable Mahama Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central, was finally debated and put to the vote on Thursday, January 28, 2021.

The last motion debated was, according to the mover himself, “materially different” from the one he had requested for the first time on January 20, 2021. Then, the motion was “that this Assembly decides to ask the President of the Republic of Ghana to take urgent action to suspend the payment of admission fees for new entrants to public higher education institutions and permanent students of these institutions for the 2021 academic year as part of the national COVID-relief programs 19 implemented by the government.

The final restitution which was finally debated and voted on by the House demanded “that this Assembly decide to ask the President of the Republic of Ghana to take urgent measures to absorb the fees of the students of public higher education institutions for the year. academic 2020/2021. and expand support to accredited private universities as part of the national COVID-19 mitigation measures implemented by the Government of Ghana. “

At first glance, despite its growing list of requests, the motion seems well-intentioned. The covid-19 pandemic has devastated many families. It is precisely for this reason that the government has launched several covid-19 relief initiatives to protect working families. In addition to free water and electricity, which is much talked about, the government has also provided grants and concessional loans to support small businesses and their owners. It should be noted that at the time, some on the other side of the political divide made fun of these necessary interventions as mere political contrivances. We will limit ourselves, however, and assess his motion on its merits.

With the layers removed, the intention of the movement became clear. It was not simply a question of “suspending the payment of fees”, but in fact of getting the government to take charge of their payment. The motion also went further by seeking some “support” for students at private higher education institutions. The obvious question that the motion did not answer was how much it would cost. For example, students at higher education institutions pay several fees, including association fees. There are students who unfortunately owe fees from previous semesters. Should all of this be included in the relief program? Not defining which house should ask the government to pay – or indeed the nature of private institution student aid – was like asking the government for a blank check that we later fill out as we wish. And that’s no way to run responsible government.

The motion also ignored the constitutional hurdle, which prevents the House from imposing a financial imperative on the government unless we are able to determine where the government can find that money. Throughout the debate, however, supporters of the motion pointedly neglected to identify the government programs they proposed to suspend in order to free up funds for this laudable endeavor. Nor have they proposed a new tax or new taxes to finance a business so amorphous and ill-defined that it could jeopardize our financial health.

As we all know, the government has already provided and is providing various forms of assistance to the Ghanaian public, among which these higher education students and / or their parents. These programs are already weighing on fiscal space, which the honorable Member is now seeking to add with an undefined bill on which the very survival of our higher education system would be based. Interestingly, the Honorable Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, speaking in favor of the motion, insisted that the economy was in recession. Why put such a burden on a receding economy, one can’t help but wonder?

What is beyond doubt, however, is the Akufo-Addo administration’s unparalleled commitment to education in this country. It was this government that went ahead to provide free high school education while others said it was impossible. It was this government that restored allowances for teacher and nurse trainees while others said it made no sense. It was this government that abolished the payment of utility bills by students at higher education institutions, while others said it was the only way to keep institutions operating.

Specifically, the New Patriotic Party has already thought about these things and has characteristically devised innovative solutions to the burden of college students that do not endanger the economy and are more sustainable.

In our 2020 manifesto, we proposed removing all barriers to acquiring student loans, including the need for guarantors. Once done this will mean that with just one Ghana Card any student can access the loan and apply part of it to these fees. On page 154 of the manifesto, we pledge to
“Make sure that no student who has been admitted to a higher education institution is denied entry because they are unable to pay the fees. We will offer all of these students, except teachers and student nurses who receive stipends, an option to obtain a student loan:
• without the requirement of a guarantor for the loan, provided he or she has a national Ghana Card identification number, and
• postpone loan repayment after national service plus an additional grace period of one year ”.

It should also be noted that the amount available for each student was increased by 50% during the president’s first term.

In addition, we have expanded, decentralized and streamlined the operations of the National Scholarship Secretariat, meaning that students who really need help can get it.

The combination of these measures gives hope to the Ghanaian student and means that we do not have to risk our economic recovery on an ill-defined intervention. Good government means doing what is sustainable and effective, not what looks good or popular.

If the Honorable Ayariga and his colleagues want to help, I would suggest that when the government brings these measures to the floor, they join us in supporting them so that we can quickly help the people his motion purported to help.