Omanghana
The Ghana High Commission to the United Kingdom has confirmed that it will proceed with a mandatory validation and oath-taking exercise for government-sponsored PhD students despite strong opposition from the scholars.
Ghana’s High Commissioner to the UK, Sabah Zita Benson, defended the exercise as a necessary step to enforce the conditions attached to government scholarships, including the obligation for beneficiaries to return to Ghana after completing their studies.
The exercise is scheduled to take place from August 13 to September 4, 2026. According to the High Commission, it is backed by Section 31 of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Act, 2025 (Act 1149), and Section 11 of the Oaths Act, 1972.
Benson warned that scholars who refuse to participate would not receive further scholarship payments. She disclosed that the second-quarter allocation had been received but said the money would be released only to students who successfully complete the validation process.
Beneficiaries who subsequently breach the terms of the oath could also be required to refund the full value of their scholarships with interest.
The directive has, however, been rejected by the leadership of the affected PhD students, who have advised members to boycott the exercise. The scholars argue that they have already signed legally binding scholarship agreements and consider the additional oath unnecessary and discriminatory.
They maintain that the government’s immediate priority should be settling outstanding tuition fees and living allowances. According to the students, prolonged delays in payments have placed more than 100 scholars at risk of eviction, frozen bank accounts and possible deportation.
The scholars have outlined several conditions that they want addressed before agreeing to participate in the exercise. These include a clear schedule for paying all outstanding tuition and stipends, an assurance that no student will be compelled to return to Ghana before unpaid scholarship obligations are settled, and a credible plan for their professional reintegration upon returning home.
The dispute has intensified concerns about the welfare of Ghanaian scholars abroad and the government’s management of its scholarship commitments. While the High Commission insists that the oath is required to ensure accountability and compliance with scholarship bonds, the students say enforcement measures should not take precedence over the state’s responsibility to meet its financial obligations.
With the validation exercise due to begin on August 13, both sides remain divided over whether participation should proceed before the scholars’ outstanding payments and welfare concerns are resolved.
Source: Omanghana
