The Youth Development and Empowerment Minister says it is time for the state to stop wasting money on foreign scholarships for courses that are already being offered in Ghana’s universities.
George Opare Addo, speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, July 22, the minister said the move forms part of reforms being introduced through a new bill that seeks to clean up Ghana’s chaotic and widely abused scholarship regime.
“I chaired that committee with Haruna Iddrisu as the co-chair, because he is the Education Minister,” he said.
“Currently, the Scholarship Secretary sits under my ministry, but when it is all done and the bill is passed, it will have to move to the Education Ministry, because technically, scholarships are educational issues.”
According to him, the objective of the bill is to fix major loopholes that have led to decades of abuse.
“What we’re seeking to cure are the issues, some of the issues that were raised by the Fourth Estate. For instance, we did not have a standard procedure for administering scholarships, and so it was about whom you know.”
He recalled how, growing up, scholarships were meant for “brilliant but needy students” or for solving critical national capacity gaps like oil and gas.
“So the state will have to look for very smart, young, dedicated students and then sponsor their education so that they can get training and then come and help fix the problem.”
He said that noble idea has been abused.
“How scholarships have been administered was like selling tomatoes in the market. People go and then say, Ah, let me pay ¢10 or ¢20 based on the investigations that the Fourth Estate did. So we wanted to address that challenge.”
Beyond the lack of standards, Opare Addo noted the duplication and fragmentation in scholarship administration.
“You realise that GNPC is giving scholarships, GETFund is giving scholarships, and then the Scholarship Secretariat itself is also giving scholarships.
“We needed a scholarship regime where if GNPC and GETFund have funding, we put them into a scholarship fund and then let there be an authority to regulate.”
He questioned why GNPC should even be involved in giving out scholarships.
“I don’t think it is even proper for a government agency like GNPC to be administering scholarships when there is a scholarship agency or an authority or executive that is mandated by law to run.”
Critically, he revealed that Ghana has never had a legal framework governing scholarship awards.
“Ever since Ghana gained independence, we have had no scholarship bill. There was no law as to how scholarships are administered.”
Turning to what he called one of the most outrageous practices in the current regime, he condemned the practice of sending students abroad to study courses like business administration.
“A lot of the scholarships that people had access to, to travel abroad, a lot of the programs are being run locally. So we have that kind of money. Why don’t we give it to our institutions here to properly equip them so that they can do that?”
He confirmed that the bill will stop funding students to study abroad if the course is available in Ghana.
“One of the things we are looking at is programs that can be or are being taught locally. The state must not spend money in sending students abroad, for instance, in business administration.”
Pressed further on whether that policy will be categorical, he said: “That is what we have currently, as in the proposal in the bill, and Parliament will have to look at it and decide. What it means is that we have no hope, no confidence in our own institutions.”
He said that doesn’t make sense, especially considering the strength of Ghana’s top universities.
“Even some of the schools that some of these students leave Ghana to attend, if we compare their pedigree to UG, KNUST and UCC, you ask yourself, are we serious at all?”
The minister said private Ghanaian universities that offer unique programs not available in public universities may still be considered for support.
“Yes, I know some of the things Ashesi University is doing, and so if there is a need to fund some students.”
However, cost will still be a major consideration.
“The cost will be part of the things we’ll look at. But you see, although Ashesi is not cheap, there are some programs that Ashesi is running that UG and KNUST are not running.”
He argued that it makes far more economic sense to support Ghanaian institutions than send scarce funds abroad.
“If Ashesi has that potential, why should I send a student out of Ghana when Ashesi can do it… when I can give the money to a Ghanaian entrepreneur, and the money is going to remain in Ghana?”
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