A Special Aide to the flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Joyce Bawah Mogtari has emphasised the importance of preserving government-sponsored scholarships for the truly needy.
In an interview on JoyNews AM Show on Thursday, April 4, she urged politicians and individuals who are financially capable to refrain from seeking state scholarships for their children’s education.
According to her, these scholarships are intended for those who are in genuine need of financial assistance, and diverting them to well-off individuals tarnishes the integrity of the Scholarship Secretariat.
The former Deputy Transport Minister stressed that failure to adhere to this principle would result in undue hardship for deserving but disadvantaged students.
“It is for very good reason the scholarship secretariat was created. It’s for those who are brilliant but cannot afford but it is sad that persons who are doing well and can fund their ward’s education are now taking over. My advice to them is that they should leave it for those who need it.”
Her comments follow a recent expose by the Fourth Estate, which claimed that scholarships are disproportionately awarded to well-connected affluent individuals in the nation.
Meanwhile, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, the registrar of the Scholarship Secretariat, has urged the swift enactment of legislation to regulate the allocation of scholarships.
Dr Agyemang highlighted the existing challenges encountered by officials in determining eligibility due to the lack of clear legislative guidelines defining the criteria for needy individuals.
He stressed the importance of scholarship legislation to clarify eligibility standards and eliminate any ambiguity in the distribution process.
“I think a scholarship legislation is so eminent and that will set out everything that we need to do or how the funds need to be managed.”
“It’s been managed over the years by the dexterity of leaders. What I think is so important – so in conjunction with maybe National Development Planning Commission and DPC to really identify priority areas that as Ghanaians, we need to.”
