The Minister of Education, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has announced plans to lay before Parliament the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill, aimed at reforming the country’s scholarship system.
The proposed legislation seeks to establish a Ghana Scholarship Authority to replace the current Scholarship Secretariat while enhancing transparency in the selection processes for awarding scholarships to Ghanaian students.
“I am happy to announce that I will be introducing in Parliament within the next few weeks, the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill on behalf of the President, as he pledged to the Ghanaian people to address issues of nepotism and cronyism in the scholarship award system,” Mr Iddrisu noted.
He made the announcement at the 2024 West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Distinction Awards ceremony held in Accra on Thursday.
The annual event honours Ghanaian students who excel in the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
According to the Minister, as part of the new bill, all WAEC distinction awardees would automatically benefit from government scholarships.
He added that the number of awardees would also be increased from the current three to 10.
“All awardees, including the overall best performing candidate in WASSCE every other year will be determined solely by WAEC and will qualify for President Mahama’s scholarship,” the Minister elaborated.
Furthermore, he mentioned that the selection process would be free from external interference, with the 10 top-performing students receiving full scholarships under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), administered by the soon-to-be-established Scholarship Authority.
I urge the GES and WAEC to work together to restore an acceptable calendar; one that is in sync with the rest of the West African system,” he stressed.
Credit: ghanaiantimes