- Ghanaian students in Morocco protest over delayed stipends
- Students face difficulties, emotional distress, and academic challenges
- - Urgent action sought to address stipend delays and prevent dire consequences
Ghanaian students studying in Morocco under the Morocco scholarship programme staged a protest on Friday, May 24, at the Ghana Embassy in Morocco, demanding urgent action to address the delayed release of their stipends.
The students, comprising undergraduate, masters, and PhD candidates, expressed their frustration and desperation, citing difficulties, emotional distress, risks, and academic challenges resulting from the prolonged delay. They appealed to the government, the Ministry of Finance, and the Scholarship Secretariat to expedite the process and avert further delay.
“The question is how do we survive?” one of the students lamented. “Our landlords are chasing us out of our apartments, some of us are sleeping with our friends, some of us are sleeping outside. Imagine sending your daughter to another country to come and study for 10 months without sending her money to pay her rent, how do you want her to survive? There are people here in debt, and some are depressed. The last time, we had someone almost commit suicide. This is not noise. This is not a story or a narrative, this is what we are going through. Our lives are in danger. We are begging you, Mr. President, if you don’t intervene, there will be blood on your hands.”
The students’ protest highlights the urgent need for a solution to their predicament, and it remains to be seen how the relevant authorities will respond to their pleas.
