[dropcap]O[/dropcap]n June 27, 2017, we did a publication with the headlines “Chaos at Dambai College of Education over payment of feeding grant“, which was based on series of calls I personally received from some students of Dambai College of Education.
However, a day after the report, I received another call from Mr. Frank Awuah, one of the tutors in the College who is also the Vice President of Dambai College of Education Old Students Association saying the picture portrade in the news report does not reflect the situations on the ground. He added that he was personally at the accounts office where the our reports said students were gathered protesting a purported deduction for GHc385.00 from their feeding grant – an amount which the students claimed their had already paid in their current bill.
Mr. Frank Awuah also said he and the old students association have noted with grave concern how their College is being “serialized in Awake reports” and that he wanted to find out “why?”. Mr. Awauh spoke for the old students of the college.
Two days after Mr. Awuah’s call, I had a call from another students who said the Principal of the College, Mr. Musa Yambah Issahaku had intervene in the matter saying the purported deduction was an administrative override and that no deduction will be made. Meaning, their feeding grants which was released by government about a month ago will be paid to then in full.
some immediate Past student of Dambai College that picketed at account office on July 4, 2017
Last Tuesday morning, July 4, 2014, at a exactly 9:21am, I had another called from one of the immediate past students of Dambai College of Education. The worried new teacher trainee spoke with pain. With a noise of his colleagues at the background he gave me the report of what was happening.
According to him, they, the immediate past students numbering about 300 are entitle to about GHc550.00 feeding grants. They had an information that the grant was released by government and on Monday, July 3, 2017 about 24 of his colleagues has received theirs.
However, upon a good number of them numbering over 100 who had traveled from different parts of their stations across Ghana to Dambai to collect their grant, they are being told to go home and come back after two weeks because the bursar, Mr. Sebastian Sokah (who is currently on transfer to Greater Accra Region) had a call to attend an emergency meeting in Accra and that he will not be able to pay them that morning. This explanation did not go down well with them.
I then took my phone and called the bursar, Mr. Sebastian Sokah to find out what the situations was so I am not tagged again as reporting what was not the truth on the ground by Mr. Frank Awauh.
Upon picking the call, Mr. Sokah told me that he was at the bank and that I should call back latter. After an hour, I called Mr. Sokah, phone picked but no voice – only a sound of a car which short to suggest he might be on a bus or driving.
I called the student caller back only to be told, the bursar has gone to Accra and that they were still there without the payment. Apparently, they were not paid. They were ask to go home because the bursar had to go for a meeting that morning in Accra.
Though out the week, I have been receiving many calls from the student saying they have still not received their grant and they will be vacating next week.
I took the pain the check from some number of Colleges of Education in Volta Region. Those that I have called, where paid their feeding grants.
My questions:
- If other students in colleges of education in Ghana had received their feeding grants, then, why is Dambai College of Education students not paid?
- Or government is yet to release the feeding grants for Dambai College of Education? If so why the delay…
- And why will only Dambia College of Education be exempted from the list government payments.
These are many are the questions I will be directed to the Minister of Education from tomorrow.