A Governance Expert, Richard Kojo Ellimah, has proposed the scrapping of the Scholarship Secretariat in the wake of an investigation that has exposed how the Secretariat has been sharing scholarship opportunities to politically exposed persons.
He suggested a new arrangement where the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) will rather provide scholarship funds to educational institutions who, in turn, will shortlist deserving brilliant but needy students for support.
When asked whether such an arrangement will not end up the same, Richard Ellimah replied, “These educational institutions already have systems that provide scholarships to brilliant but needy students, except that they do not have adequate funding. They are therefore better placed to identify genuine brilliant but needy students who require state scholarships.
“It is now obvious that the Scholarship Secretariat has become a softball in the hands of the political class, where they can toss it around at will, a play game that is almost impossible for the non-aligned to be a party to, and deviating from its true intent. We cannot continue on that trajectory.”
An investigation into the activities of the Scholarship Secretariat by the Fourth Estate has revealed how persons connected to the government have, allegedly, been given unbridled access to the scheme, so much to the disadvantage of many otherwise qualified Ghanaian brilliant but needy students.
Fourth Estate found that while relations and associates of the ruling class secured scholarships – sometimes double funding – from the scheme to study diverse courses of study outside the country, other Ghanaian students without “known connections” are denied this opportunity.
Richard Ellimah, in an interview, described the findings as heartbreaking.
“Time and again, we are reminded of why some people will do anything to get into politics and serve in top positions, often not to serve but to get the opportunity to influence the system to their advantage at the expense of those they swore, tooth and nail, to serve and protect.”
He is particularly incensed at responses from the Secretariat, an indication, that “They either knew what they were doing or simply don’t care.
“You give scholarships to people who are already rich and politically exposed and neglect the poor and needy, and when questioned, you come up with the most idiotic response I have ever heard from a public official, that ‘Are these people also not Ghanaians?’,” he fumed.
“Of course, they are Ghanaians. But the principle of equity requires that the Scholarship Secretariat prioritise brilliant but needy students over and above these political elites who are already enjoying some largesse from the state. We cannot keep pushing these brilliant but needy Ghanaians to the margins of our development.”
He proposed a critical review of all courses that are supported by state scholarship to ensure that a focus is placed on the sponsorship of students studying STEM programmes.
“The state does not gain any value in supporting students to travel abroad to study course like Supply Chain Management, Marketing, MBA, etc.”
He also asked the Secretariat to desist from supporting students to study courses that are already being taught in Ghanaian institutions.
“Sometimes the cost of supporting one student to study abroad is equivalent to supporting about ten students in Ghana. We should optimise our resources.”