Accra, Ghana//-The Citizens’ Coalition, a group of Public Interest Civil Society Organisations and Eminent Citizens, has called on Parliament to suspend further consideration of the Ghana Scholarships Authority Bill, 2025, which is currently before the House.
This is contained in a press release issued and signed by Kofi Asare, Executive Director, Africa Education Watch; Dr Kojo Asante, Director of Partnerships and Policy Engagement, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana); and Manasseh Azure Awuni, Investigative Journalist on behalf of the Citizens’ Coalition.
Although they commended the government for this laudable effort to strengthen the legal and institutional framework for scholarship management in Ghana, no known emergency in the management of scholarships justifies the speedy consideration of this all-important Bill without public consultation.
“The need for reform is undeniable, yet the Bill in its current form does not adequately address the structural weaknesses of the existing scholarships regime”, they said. Rather than remedying the prevailing opacity, nepotism and political interference, it risks institutionalising them, the press release added.
“We are convinced that the proposed legislation falls short of establishing a transparent, accountable and merit-based system consistent with global best practice in public scholarships management.
Consequently, genuine reform must begin with broad stakeholder engagement, including students and youth groups, tertiary institutions, civil society organisations and development partners.
These consultations, they argued in their press release, are essential in designing a legal framework that consolidates the fragmented scholarship landscape into a coherent and credible authority that serves the national interest.
We are fully aware of the unfortunate situation of the about 200 Ghanaian students studying abroad who risk deportation and termination of their programmes for failure to pay tuition fees and other obligations, it noted.
They acknowledged that the Ministry of Education, which currently oversees the Scholarship Secretariat, is working to resolve the matter. “This should not under any circumstances dispense with the thorough stakeholder engagement needed for this Bill.
It is therefore imperative that Parliament allows sufficient time for meaningful consultations to be undertaken”.
A law that shapes access to academic and professional opportunity for generations of Ghanaians must not be passed in haste. It must be informed, inclusive and legitimate, they said.
“Given this background, we respectfully call on Parliament, particularly the Right Honourable Speaker, to facilitate the suspension of the current legislative process to allow for stakeholder consultations on this important national reform”.
