Students who allegedly used fees for betting need therapy – Ablakwa

The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, has said that students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) who allegedly used their school fees for gambling must be taken through therapy.

The MP said that the rehabilitation is needed because the student might be addicted to gambling which may lead to them eventually dropping out of school.

“For the category of students allegedly addicted to betting, we owe them therapy and an improved regulatory climate by the Gaming Commission of Ghana – ending their education cannot be an option,” a tweet shared by the MP on April 23, 2022, read.

Also, the MP commended the KNUST management and the government for reviewing the decision to defer the programmes of the 6000 students who failed to pay 70 percent of their school fees.

He said that it was his hope the students who have still not been able to pay their fees will get the needed support before the grace period provided by the university elapses.

“It is absolutely gratifying that 6,000 KNUST students didn’t have to reluctantly return to their various homes this weekend against their will only because they owe fees.

“For their empathy and show of humanity by responding positively to our appeals – I commend the management of KNUST and the Minister for Education. I hope we all do our best to assist those we can before the new deadline of 20th May 2022,” the MP said.

The MP added that the government should put measures in place to ensure that it pays arrears owed to students in the forms of student loans and the university’s GETFund support.

Meanwhile, the management of the KNUST has disclosed that it has reinstated over 3,550 of the 6,000 students whose programmes were deferred due to their inability to pay 70 percent of their fees.

It said that the students were reinstated after paying the required amount of fees, adding that the fees of 2,200 students were paid through the Dean of Students Scholarship Scheme while 1350 paid the fees on their own.