Students of the Methodist University College, Ghana-Tema Campus have called on government to amend the Ghana Education Trust Fund(GETFund) Act 2000 Act 581, to enable students from private universities and other tertiary institutions the country to benefit from the fund. The students claim that the fund, as it is now does not allow students from the private universities to benefit from it even though their parents and, in some cases some of them pay taxes to the government.This they describe as unfair. The students said they want government to make it pos­sible for them to access students' loans just as their colleagues from public universities and other tertiary institu­tions do to support their education since they were also Ghanaians who pay taxes. This came to light when the University College held a forum under the theme: "Private Sector Tertiary Institutions and the GETFund Act," in Tema last Thursday to discuss the way forward with the three Members of Parliament (MP) in the three constituencies of the Tema Metropolis. Article Two (2) sub-section 2(a} of the GETFund Act states: "To provide financial support to the agencies and institutions under the Ministry of Education through the Ministry for the development and maintenance of essential academic facilities and infrastructure in public educational institutions, particularly in tertiary institutions." All the three MPs Alfred Agbesi - MP for Ashaiman Evans Ashong Narh MP for Tema East and Irene Naa Torshie Addo - MP for Tema West and Kempes Ofusuware the incoming Chief Executive of the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) were present at the forum. The MPs were unanimous in their submissions on the issue that until the law was amended government cannot do anything about it. Making his submission, Mr. Agbesi noted that even though the GETFund cannot be used to support infrastruc­tural development in private universities and other tertiary institutions in the country, the students themselves pro­vided they attend accredited institutions are entitled to access scholarships in the forms of loans and grants from the Scholarship Secretariat. He quoted article Two (2), sub-section2{b) of the Act which states that: "To provide supplementary funding to the Scholarship Secretariat for the grant of scholarships to gifted but needy students for studies in second-cycle and accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana," to support his argument. The MP for Tema West urged the students to fight for the scholarships in the form of loans and grants by applying to the Secretariat, saying there are scholarship for stude­nts to study abroad, grants, and loans among others. She noted that the GETFund was not for the building of infrastructure for private universities and other tertiary institutions, but students who need grants and loans can do so at the Secretariat. Ashong Narh noted that it was every government's dream that all its citizens have education to the highest level but it cannot afford to take care of the cost alone. He disabused the minds of the students that govern­ment was not using the GETFund to support the private universities and other tertiary institutions, saying that what it cannot do was to use funds from the Fund to pro­vide infrastructure for the private universities and other tertiary institutions in the country. The incoming MCE assured the students that the gov­ernment was committed to ensuring that all Ghanaians have access to quality education to the tertiary level for the development of the country. Source: The Chronicle