Government should have left us in Europe – Returned Ukraine students

Some Ghanaian students in Ukraine who were evacuated by the government due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have said that they are beginning to regret accepting the government’s offer to return home.

According to the student, since they were brought back to Ghana, the government has not taken considerable steps to attain the promises it made them.

Speaking in a Neat FM interview, monitored by GhanaWeb, the president of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) Ukraine chapter, Philip Bobbie Ansah, said that they had an agreement for 140 of the students to be absorbed in Ghanaian universities and the remaining 143 sent to universities abroad but that has not happened.

“… we want to be in Ghana. Ghana seems to be the safest place to be for everyone which we all advocated for it. Luckily, the government intervened and brought all of us back to Ghana, those of us who wanted to come back, and the next step was to secure education, and social support and all of that… processes started, we had meetings with government but we have not seen anything materialise. But, our colleagues in Europe, they are getting opportunities over there, that is the issue we have.

“Our colleagues in Europe are getting support with education, accommodation, some are even given money on a monthly basis and all of that and some are here and they are struggling, they don’t know the next steps for their education and all of that is why they are now saying that (government should have left them in Europe),” he said.

Ansah further stated that the executives of NUGS Ukraine have been to some of the universities in the country and they informed that they will be adsorbed only if the government gives that direction.

He added that they have informed the government about this but the government keeps saying they are working on it which is frustrating most of the students.

The Government on March 4, 2022, began the evacuation of Ghanaian students in Ukraine who accepted its offer to be evacuated.

The students were evacuated from neighbouring countries of Ukraine including Poland and Romania and all 283 of them were evacuated.

However, some of the students reject the government’s offer to be evacuated to Ghana, saying that they will be better off in Europe.