The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has disclosed that he will present the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill to Parliament in the coming weeks.
According to him, the bill aims to reform the current system and enhance the selection process.
Speaking at the WAEC Distinction Awards on Thursday, he said the bill will address cronyism and nepotism in the awarding of government scholarships.
“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 deal with nepotism and cronyism that was associated with the award of scholarships,” he said.
As part of the reforms, the new merit-based scholarship system will include a Presidential Scholarship to reward outstanding academic performance in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
“As I introduce the bill, I have the pleasure, on behalf of President John Mahama, to announce today that the number of award winners will be expanded from three to 10.
“All the awardees—overall best-performing candidates in WASSCE every other year—to be determined by WAEC, will qualify for President John Mahama’s Scholarship for Scholarship,” he noted.
The scholarships will be fully sponsored by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and administered through the proposed Ghana Scholarship Authority.
“So every other year, without any interference in WAEC’s determination of these best students, 10 of them will receive the President’s pleasure of continued support with full GETFund-sponsored scholarships through the Scholarship Authority yet to be established,” he said.
The Minister assured that the top five students from each academic programme—Science, General Arts, Business, and Visual Arts—will receive awards, along with “the best female science and maths student and the best performing female from the most deprived community.”
He also called on WAEC to incorporate this initiative into the upcoming legislation.
“So I am making the application to you, Chairman, that when I bring the Ghana Scholarship Authority Bill, part of its functions will be to support the President and WAEC for the Scholarship of Scholarship undertaken by WAEC.
“So when you are doing your legislation, make room for the President’s Scholarship for Scholarship,” he urged.
He emphasised that President John Mahama’s vision for the scheme goes beyond Ghana’s borders.
“The President has also asked me to share with you that the second leg of that scholarship will be to promote Pan-Africanism.
“If there are other excellent students in the sub-region who want to learn our culture—and for us to learn their culture—they may also qualify for the President’s Award from the neighbouring West African countries,” he said.
The Minister congratulated the awardees, encouraging them to be proud and ambitious.
“Walk shoulder high with confidence, be proud of the training you’ve gotten from your parents and teachers. Dream big, but act with character and integrity.”
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