Minister of Education Haruna Iddrisu has laid before Parliament a new Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill.
The primary objective of the bill is to address and eradicate nepotism and cronyism in scholarship administration.
The bill was laid before Parliament on Tuesday, July 8, 2025.
The minister explained that the bill seeks to reform the country’s scholarship system by ensuring that scholarships are awarded based on merit and genuine need, rather than personal connections or political patronage.
Aside from that, the bill will elevate the existing Ghana Scholarship Secretariat into an authority with expanded powers and a renewed mandate.
Additionally, the bill will prioritise supporting disciplines critical to national development, such as science, mathematics, and education.
Haruna Iddrisu noted further that the bill is designed to tackle the widespread nepotism and cronyism that have plagued scholarship awards in Ghana for years, often favouring individuals with strong political ties or from well-off backgrounds.
Commenting on the bill, the Minority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, underscored the need for authorities to decentralise scholarship administration to make applications more accessible across the country.
Meanwhile, Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare, has commended the government for taking this bold step.
According to him, in April 2024, Africa Education Watch submitted a proposal to the government for the establishment of a Scholarship Authority, aimed at reforming a non-accountable public scholarship system that served mainly political party loyalists, but they received no response.
He further stated that in September 2024, the education think tank engaged the NPP and NDC manifesto committees on the same.
He added that in April 2025, they submitted a MEMO to the Ministry of Education on the same issue, and on Tuesday, July 8, the Bill has been laid in the House for consideration.
He said, “Today, the Minister for Education has laid a Scholarship Authority Bill before Parliament to reform and deepen accountability and meritocracy in the management of public scholarships.
We must all be interested in scrutinising and making inputs to enhance its responsiveness to real reform.
The days where scholarships were managed under the Office of the President, in opacity, without a legal framework, accountability, or meritocracy, will soon be history. This is progress!”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
