A group calling itself the Aggrieved Students Loan Beneficiaries has said it will join the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) to protest against the government’s delay in the payment of student loans to the various beneficiaries across the country if the government fails to address all their concerns raised by the union by Tuesday, 7 June 2020 – the scheduled date for their march.

The Student Loan Trust Fund has, in recent times, delayed in the disbursement of funds to the beneficiaries.

A statement released by the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) on Thursday, 14 May 2020, following a second meeting with the stakeholders, noted that on the academic registration for beneficiaries of the fund, “the Minister of State in Charge of Tertiary Education indicated that the Ministry, together with the National Commission for Tertiary Education, has prepared letters with lists of beneficiaries of the Student Loan Trust Fund (SLTF) attached”.

“These letters are being sent to the various tertiary institutions for their respective managements to permit beneficiaries of the fund to register and partake in the e-learning, as well as any further academic endeavour. With this done, all beneficiaries of the Fund are being assured that they will be permitted to continue with their academic endeavours without any hindrances pending the loan disbursement from the SLTF Secretariat.”

The Aggrieved Students Loan Beneficiaries, in March 2020, suspended a planned demonstration slated for Saturday, 7 March against the delay in disbursement of the funds after a meeting with the relevant stakeholders.

However, a statement released and signed by the Convener of the group, Adjei Boakye on Friday, 29 May 2020, said: “The Student Loan Trust Fund (STLF) has failed Ghanaian students. It has been, for some time now,that students have agitated for the release of funds.”

The group reminded the Fund of the purpose for its establishment, which is “providing financial resources for the sound management of the trust for the benefit of students and to help promote and facilitate the national ideals.”

It further emphasised that the establishment of the Fund is “not out of order and, indeed, it is a good course in the right direction.”

It, however, noted: “The recent delays and deliberate attempt of the government not to pay its beneficiaries is something which can no longer be entertained”, thus, it will join the “National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) on Tuesday, 2 June 2020 to hit the streets to register our displeasure and dissatisfaction to the government and its stakeholders amid this COVID-19 season with protocols and precautionary measures observed, if all the concerns raised by the mother union is not looked at before the slated dated.”