IDB releases GH¢52,900 to cater for 23 Muslim students
Twenty-three needy but brilliant Muslim students are to benefit from GH¢52,900 offered by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) Scholarship Scheme in Ghana. Each student is to receive GH¢2,300 to pay fees at public universities in the country.
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The Co-ordinator of the IDB Scholarship Scheme in Ghana, Alhaji Reheem Gbadamashie made this known at the induction of fresh beneficiaries of IDB scholarships for 2016/17.
According to him the amount for each student was more than enough to cushion them and give them the peace of mind needed for their studies, adding that the amount was also more than the maximum paid to students from the students’ Loans Trust Fund.
He stated that since the IDB Scholarships programme started in the 1986/87 academic year not less than 410 Ghanaian Muslim youth had benefitted from the local and external scholarships.
Alhaji Gbadamashie mentioned that apart from the 57 still continuing the programme now, all others had successfully completed their studies and most of them were gainfully employed.
Payment
“However, only 97 have started paying as at 2015, about 25 years since the first beneficiaries graduated” he added.
Alhaji Gbadamashie said the principal aim of the annual retreat and swearing-in ceremony and taking of oath of compliance was to constantly remind beneficiaries of the conditions and obligations of the IDB Scholarships repayment and the responsibilities of the graduates.
In his remarks the vice-chairman of the IDB Education Trust Ghana, Alhaji Hudu Mogtari reminded the new beneficiaries that the IDB scholarship was supposed to be a grant to the Muslim Community but an interest free loan to capable and needy Muslim students to be paid back, when gainfully employed, into a trust and recycled for more scholarships to every needy Muslim youth.
He said refund by each IDB graduate was supposed to be optional but at reasonable rates and expected to be completed in about the same number of years spent under the scholarship.
According to Alhaji Mogtari the scheme was particular about the refund of the loans and serious defaults in payments by IDB graduates of a country could lead to the reduction in the quota or cancellation of the programme for that country.
Challenges
In a welcome address, the President of the IDB Graduates Association, Mr. Amidu Musah explained that it was because of the challenges being experienced in respect of the refund of loans that it became necessary to request the presence of some close relatives or guarantors at the induction ceremonies.
He said it was expected that guarantors would be able to exercise positive influence on their wards to pay their loans when they graduated and were gainfully employed.
In his closing remarks Alhaji Aminu Abubakar, who is the Iman of the IDB Graduates called on all Muslims, who had been successful to support the less successful ones to also achieve their goals in life.
He asked beneficiaries of the IDB scheme not to shirk their responsibilities in paying back the loans.
