Students Stranded In Cuba

Government officials have refused to heed to the distressed call of five Ghanaian students who are reportedly stranded in Cuba. The five students travelled to Cuba last year on a Cuban government scholarship programme. Education Ministry officials who facilitated the programme asked students to pay their own airfare with the promise that the monies will be refunded to them by the scholarship secretariat.

However the Ghana mission in the Cuban capital, Havana told the students that their scholarships were not approved by the Ghana government and so they would not be paid allowances. The students are reported to be depending on their colleagues in Havana for financial support. The scholarship secretariat has also confirmed to JOY FM in an interview that the scholarship were not granted by the state. Meanwhile, two officials of the Education Ministry, K. C. Appiah-Num and Rose Dennis have been trading accusations over the fictitious award of scholarships.

When JOY FM contacted the office of the Chief of Staff for government?s reaction, the schedule officer for foreign travels, Joseph Vugu said government has more important issues to attend to.