The National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has presented a petition to Parliament over plans to cap the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund). The petitioners, led by NUGS President Mr. Dennis Appiah Larbi Ampofo, protested with placards in front of Parliament’s ceremonial gate before presenting the petition to the Education Committee of the House.
Mr. Ampofo called on Parliament to uncap GETFund to make funds available for education. He also noted that funding for the education sector has been decreasing in recent years.
The petition was received by the Chairman of the Education Committee, Hon. Kwabena Amankwa Asiamah, and Hon. Peter Nortsu-Kotoe the Ranking Member, who assured the petitioners that the committee would do everything possible to ensure that the funds are used for education in the country and would take all necessary steps to ensure that the GETfund is uncapped.
The union was joined by Civil Society Organisations, led by the Africa Education Watch. The NUGS wants the Ministry of Finance to stop implementing the GETFUND formula for this year “which will see only 39% of GETFUND levy allocated to the fund with the remaining 61% diverted into other areas.”
NUGS is a democratic, non-partisan, and progressive mass movement of students, both in Ghana and abroad, with the central aim of protecting the interest of all Ghanaian students both home and abroad. The union is committed to advocating to inculcate a high degree of patriotism and nationalism in students to prepare them adequately for the future of our country.
