Woman claims KNUST rejected her doctorate scholarship due to disability

A young Ghanaian woman has claimed that her PhD scholarship application was rejected by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) due to her poor health.

In a social media post, the woman, identified as Rosa Monique Djangba, explained how she lost the scholarship after undergoing what appeared to be a successful interview in 2020 for the programme.

Rosa claimed that while her interview went well—having answered the questions correctly and confidently—one of the interview panellists commented that her health would not allow her to graduate. Rosa suffers from systemic scleroderma, a rare chronic condition caused by excessive collagen production in the body. Its symptoms include vascular abnormalities in the skin, joints, and internal organs.

She was subsequently rejected from the scholarship programme on the grounds that her health would hinder her ability to complete the degree and graduate.

However, Rosa was not discouraged by the setback. She applied for another scholarship at GNPC, where she successfully passed the interview and was accepted into the programme. According to Rosa, her story is one of hope and a testament to God’s favour in her life. She believes that this setback was simply a stepping stone to greater opportunities.

Rosa further called for a stop to discrimination towards people with disabilities, whilst encouraging them to advance in life.

Let's stop discriminating, let's stop saying hurtful things to people who have disabilities. Let's rather push people forward. Let's urge people on, let's encourage instead of bringing people down, dampening their spirits, discriminating let's stop the stigma. Let's help others.

The management of KNUST has yet to comment on or respond to the allegations.

According to the Ghana Disability Act (Act 715), 2006, it is illegal to deny a person with a disability admission to any educational institution on the basis of their disability. This is permissible only if an assessment by the Ministry of Education recommends that the person seeks admission to an institution specifically designed for their special needs.

A Ghanaian lady, Rosa Monique, has shared her story about how she was denied a PhD scholarship by KNUST because she is living with systemic scleroderma, a rare chronic disease characterized by widespread fibrosis and vascular abnormalities in the skin, joints, and internal… pic.twitter.com/A4Qja5WDgA

— EDHUB????? (@eddie_wrt) January 18, 2025

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