Scholarship scheme overhauled - New bill to go before Parliament soon

A new scholarship bill, called the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill, will be presented to Parliament. This will happen when Parliament reconvenes. The government aims to restructure the current Scholarship Secretariat.

Education Minister Haruna Iddrisu announced this in Accra. He stated that the new bill would stop cronyism and nepotism. It will ensure scholarships go to those who truly deserve them.

Mr. Iddrisu emphasized merit-based awards for scholarships. He also wants to help universities build competitive faculties globally.

The new plan includes a local scholarship initiative for Ghanaian universities. This was mentioned during the inauguration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) Board of Trustees last Friday.

He suggested that each public university should receive support for five PhDs locally. This could become part of the fund's institutional framework over four years.

The minister expressed happiness about President Mahama's request for the new scholarship bill. This bill aims to address issues of cronyism and nepotism in scholarship awards.

Recently, the Scholarship Secretariat faced criticism for unfairly awarding scholarships based on favoritism. President Mahama hopes this new bill will correct those issues.

Regarding GETFund scholarships, GH¢266.2 million has been allocated for beneficiaries this year. This amount is an increase from last year's allocation of GH¢176 million.

Mr. Iddrisu reminded trustees that they are key sources of funding for the secretariat. He proposed creating an emergency fund for natural disasters, like recent fires at schools.

He shared challenges faced by MPs in their constituencies, including a recent incident in Zobo village where a school roof was damaged by strong winds.