General News of Saturday, 22 July 2017

Source: starrfmonline.com

Over 300 Ghanaian students stranded in Russia

Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Ghanaian students are reportedly stranded in Russia over government’s inability to pay their stipends, StarrFMonline.com has gathered.

The students numbering about 300, according to sources close to the situation are owed six months stipends, having not received any for this academic year.

Speaking in an interview with Starrfmonline.com Saturday, one of the students by name Lawrence said visas of 76 of them completing this year will expire on July 31, 2017 and they are required to translate their documents as well as carry out several other paperwork before returning.

“All of these require funds which are currently unavailable,” he bemoaned adding “if we don’t get our tickets and allowances, we’ll become illegal immigrants in Russia and those in University hostels will be evicted.”

According to the Scholarship Secretariat, monies for the students had been released to the Bank of Ghana but the Ghanaian mission in Moscow say the funds have still not reached it.