The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has threatened to take affirmative action if the government fails to pay feeding grants due Senior High Schools in the three northern regions to enable students go back to school. It said the feet dragging by government on the matter most negatively affecting the academic work of students in the three regions. The NUGS president, Mr. Kweku Tuoho Bombason said this at a press conference in Accra. He said “despite the assurance by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, that the feeding grants have been released by government for Senior High Schools in the three northern regions as contained in the Saturday, May 24, 2008 edition of the Daily Graphic, schools in these regions are still closed and are still waiting for the feeding grants.” He lauded government’s commitment to paying the grants and called for pragmatic steps in that direction. Mr. Bombason also called for the immediate removal of the student representative on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Board saying he was not working in the interest of students. According to him, Mr. Ernest Adade “is part of the unsatisfactory performance of the GETFund Board”. The NUGS president expressed regret at the arbitrary use of funds from the GETFund for other sectors of the economy. That, he said amounted to misapplication of the fund because the core functions of the fund were being neglected. On national security and the worrying drug menace in the country the Union called for the immediate resignation of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Patrick Acheampong. It said the Police’s handling of drug related matters leaves much to be desired. The full text of the press conference is published below. Story by Malik Abass Daabu NATIONAL UNION OF GHANA STUDENTS’ PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY MR. KWEKU TUOHO BOMBASON, NUGS PRESIDENT AT THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS CENTRE, ACCRA ON THE 29TH MAY, 2008. CLOSURE OF NORTHERN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS (NO FEEDING GRANTS) NUGS states here and now that despite the assurance by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, that the feeding grants have been released by government for Senior High Schools in the three northern regions as contained in the Saturday, May 24, 2008 edition of the Daily Graphic, schools in these regions are still closed and are still waiting for the feeding grants. It is encouraging to know that despite the claim by the Minister, of Government’s commitment to paying the feeding grants in the said publication, the release of feeding grants for Senior High Schools since 2001 have always been like this. It is sad to note that the situation has even deteriorated in this 2007/2008 academic year. However, it is appropriate to place on record that the payment of feeding grants to Senior High Schools in the three northern regions did not start in 2008 nor 2001 but started as far back as in the early 1950’s which was geared towards bridging the gap between northern and southern Ghana in terms of education. The reason which was ultimately due to the poverty situation in the three northern regions is still valid today. NUGS is therefore calling on government to be courageous and act immediately so that the Minister’s statement would not be looked at as an action in futility. This action would end the over a month’s stay at home of innocent students while at the same time, all bottlenecks be cleared to forestall future occurrence. Indeed the union is stressing here that if government fails within one-week to get all Senior High Schools reopened in the three northern regions, we will advise our selves. GETFUND ADMINISTRATION AND THE STUDENTS’ REPRESENTATIVE ON GETFUND BOARD NUGS notes with great concern the recent haphazard use of the GETFund proceeds and hereby calls for serious reforms to the Fund. The least said about the failure to pay the project bursaries for graduate students in our universities the better, their contribution to the socio-economic development of the nation notwithstanding. Consequently, NUGS states here without fear or favour that we can no longer trust the actions and inactions of the students’ representative on the GETFund Board who is in the person of Mr. Ernest Adade. We believe strongly that he is part of the unsatisfactory performance of the GETFund Board and subsequently, we are asking for his immediate removal especially as he also dabbles as the Deputy National Co-ordinator of the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), beneficiaries of diverted GETFund releases. We further reiterate our call for a comprehensive Legislative Instrument (LI) to be passed detailing the modus operandi of GETFund so as to avert the haphazard use of this all-important fund. NUGS has also formed a five member committee made of competent technical men and women to investigate the quality of work executed from proceeds of GETFund in some selected educational institutions across Ghana. STUDENTS LOAN SCHEME Over two successive academic years now, beneficiaries of the Students Loan Scheme have not received any increment in their loans, the persistent rise in the cost of living, not withstanding. Explanations from the appropriate quarters indicate that failure in the upward adjustment of the loans were due to the fact that GETFund did not have the financial capacity to support it, hence our continuous worry about the haphazard use of the fund. NUGS again is using this medium, to alert the Student Loan Trust (SLT), the Social Security and National Insurance Trust SSNIT), GETFund, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports and all other stakeholders of the Students Loan Scheme on the need for an increment of the loan by at least 50% effective 2008/2009 academic year as was decided at the Central Committee meeting of NUGS held in December, 2007. Furthermore, we want to allay the fears of all beneficiaries of the Student Loan Trust that despite an overheating in the Ghanaian economy which has resulted in the soaring of interest rates to about 15.4 per cent as of the 26 of May, 2008, NUGS has been assured by the management of the Student Loan Trust that the original ceiling of 12 per cent TB Rate of GOG would be adhered to and for that matter, the Student Loan Trust would continue to absorb the difference until such a time that NUGS goes in to a renegotiation with the Student Loan Trust. CONFLICTS IN BAWKU/ANLOGA/YUNYUO The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), has also followed with great worry the eruption of conflicts in Bawku, Anloga and Bunkprugu-Yunyuo in recent times. In view of the counter productive nature of these conflicts on education, health and sustainable development in general, the last place that needed conflict is northern Ghana as a result of the peculiar developmental challenges that this part of the country is faced with. Whiles acknowledging some efforts of government in bringing peace to these troubled areas particularly Bawku, it is important to say that most of these efforts did not work satisfactorily. It is prudent that government looks at a more wholistic way of resolving these conflicts so as to restore the needed peace and congenial atmosphere which is a requisite for investment and development in general. NUGS wants to state categorically that as part of measures to forestall future conflicts in the country, successive governments should be looking at equitable development in the country otherwise, this can be a recipe for even inter-regional conflicts in the not too distant future. We however, call on all residents of these conflict areas especially Bawku to be resolute and to conduct themselves very well to allow normalcy to return. NORTHERN FLOOD DISASTER AND RELATED MATTERS Following an invitation that was extended to the National Union Of Ghana Students (NUGS) by the Inter-Ministerial Task Force that was established by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana for NUGS to participate in a Relief Impact Assessment exercise in the wake of the Northern Flood Disaster, which the union humbly accepted, a total of fifty-three (53) students were earmarked to carry out the exercise of which funds were made available to the Inter-Ministerial Task Force. Sadly however, this well intended programme was called off indefinitely. However, we are told that the activities of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force have folded without any impact assessment. It is the belief of NUGS that the last minute refusal by the Interior Ministry to allow NUGS to do the impact assessment should not be taken on the face value and the fact that no body could explain to the union the whereabouts of the funds which were originally allocated to NUGS. If this can be done even to NUGS, it means that a lot would be uncovered if an independent committee is established by His Excellency the President of the Republic to probe the activities of those who administered the relief items to the affected communities; no wonder some victims of the flood continuously insist that not even a tea-spoonful of maize and other relief items were received from government. NATIONAL SECURITY/COCAINE/THE NEED FOR A NEW LEADERSHIP FOR THE GHANA POLICE SERVICE In recent times, Ghana has been on the lips of the international community for no good reason but due to the fact that it is the number one transit point for cocaine and this certainly have a lot of negative implications on foreign direct investment, national security and Ghana’s corporate image. This equally have serious telling effects on quality human resource development of the nation as well as efforts been made to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. Even more worrying is the situation where the people who are at the centre of promoting peace and security; the Ghana Police Service seemed to be engulfed in illicit trade as clearly demonstrated by the missing parcels of cocaine which were kept in the Police custody. The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), very committed to the sustainable development of this country, is hereby unreservedly and unconditionally calling for the immediate resignation of the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong. NUGS believes that this is crucial especially in the wake of the various unrests, unprofessional conduct of some police men, alleged corruption and maladministration of the Police Service.