Ghana High Commissioner confirms oath-taking exercise for UK PhD students despite opposition

Ghana's High Commissioner to the UK, Sabah Zita Benson, has confirmed that a verification and oath-taking exercise for PhD students in the UK sponsored by the Ghana Scholarships Authority will proceed. The exercise has been opposed by the students, who argue that the requirement is discriminatory and unnecessary, as they have already signed bonds committing them to return to Ghana after completing their studies.

According to MyJoyOnline Ghana, the students' leadership has questioned the basis for introducing the oath-taking requirement and raised concerns over outstanding tuition and stipend payments. However, Benson stated that the students' scholarship bonds already contain provisions requiring beneficiaries to comply with conditions set by the GSA, including surveys and evaluations.

Benson also pointed out that the bonds require beneficiaries to return to Ghana within two months of completing their studies, and those who fail to honour their obligations could be required to refund the scholarship funds received. She rejected demands for guaranteed reintegration into Ghana's job market, citing that no such commitment was contained in the scholarship agreements.

Brief written by urgent.news from 3News, MyJoyOnline Ghana — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.