Management of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has justified its decision to force over 6,000 students, who have failed to settle at least 70 percent of school fees, to defer their courses.
According to the Public Relation Officer of the university, Dr. Daniel Norris Bekoe, some of the students are deliberately refusing to pay their fees and are using the money to run bakery and transport businesses as well as engage in sports betting.
He said the situation has persisted for sometime now, depriving the university the needed resources to ensure its smooth running as most of them graduate without settling their fees.
Dr. Bekoe indicated that although the university previously was reluctant in enforcing its fees paying policy on the assumption that some of them were financially handicap, it has received reports from parents that these students took the money but have refused to pay.
He said the university could not allow such a phenomenon to continue and had given those who owe a two-month window (from February to April 11, 2022) to offset their debt.
They, however, failed to settle their debt within the period, forcing the university to take action against them as it can no longer countenance their “games”.
“The problem we have now is a number of students who are playing games with the university. They use the school fees to buy Uber. Others are setting up bakery. Others are using for betting and we have evidence. Some parents have sent audios where students have received the fees but refused to pay or simply trading with the money and we cannot allow this continue as a university.
This has persisted for 2, 3 years because previously we had the notion that some people are genuinely having challenges and so we allow them, we give them that leave and then some completed without paying the fees. If we tell you the amount of money that is outstanding in terms of fees, it is huge. Just this year, about 55 million of school fees is in arrears,” he stated.
Dr. Bekoe dismissed claims by the affected students that they are financially constraint reason they are unable to pay their fees. He said the university has put in place several avenues to help students who are genuinely in need hence, they should have applied for support from such avenues if they are really in need.
“The university over the years has given scholarship to a number of students, about 6,000 to 7,000 students benefited. Last year, we gave free laptops to about 800 needy students. So the university is not insensitive. But these are people who are deliberately trying not to go by the policy of the university,” he stated.
The university, in a press release, notified the students that they would be automatically deffered if they fail to pay at least 70 percent of their school fees by April. It, however, did not enforce the directive although the time elapsed and allowed the students to partake in the mid-semester exams which started on April 11, 2022.
It has since decided to enforce the directive by compelling the students to defer their courses.
