General News of Tuesday, 25 February 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

I couldn’t pay my fees halfway into school, GETFund helped me through – Prof. Gatsi justifies

Prof. John Gatsi, Dean of the School of Business at the University of Cape Coast Prof. John Gatsi, Dean of the School of Business at the University of Cape Coast

The Dean of the School of Business at the University of Cape Coast, Prof. John Gatsi, has revealed he applied for a GetFund scholarship in 2014 after he could no longer afford his fees to complete his program.

This he says was at the time he really he needed help adding that it was needful and timely.

His comments come on the back of some reactions by Ghanaians on social media suggesting that he didn’t qualify to benefit from the scholarship as he was not a needy person.

Speaking in an interview on Citi news John Gatsi “I had been paying my fees from my own resources but somewhere in 2014, it got to a point that I felt I needed support so I applied to GETFund and they paid the remaining fee of €4,000 for me to complete my program and so that was the support I received from them and I am grateful for that,” he said.

“I am not a minister. I am a university teacher and I know how much I earn… I know how it feels to convert your salary into Euros to pay so I think I needed help and I applied. I am not in the category of people who applied for US$53,000.”

He urged GETFund to improve on their system to ensure transparency.

“It was appropriate, it was needful, and it was timely… So there was nothing about surcharges. If the Attorney General was minded that I have offended any law, they would have involved me in the process to question me.”

“If the report has come with some recommendation, this is the time for GETFund to improve upon its system, ensure that they follow what they are supposed to do, publish the list of those they are supporting, ensure transparency, and do what is right,” he said.
Meanwhile John Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu Constituency, John Jinapor has refuted claims that he benefited from GETFund scholarship to study Master in Oil and Gas Accounting at the Robert Gordon University in Scotland.

According to him, he never attended the Robert Gordon University.

In a Facebook post he said “Ignore the false and spurious claims by the NPP that I'm a beneficiary of GETFund scholarship. I am not and I have never attended the said Robert Gordon University.”

Also, Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Kennedy Osei Nyarko has threatened to take legal action against the Auditor-General if he does not clear his name from the list of beneficiaries of the GETFund scholarship.